Tears of Venus
by Clogallie
Summary: Rima has searched 3 years for the perfect boyfriend, yet no boys have met up her standards. Is she pretending or is she really dense about a certain boy's true feelings for her?
1. Chapter 1: My Evil Mistletoe Idea

**Hey everyone! I'm back from my one week road trip...agh, it was horrible. Though in a way fun. I felt very un-enviromental friendly though, watching the gas meter hit EMPTY numorous times... ****-_-**

**But anyways, here's my story! I'm not really sure where this will lead, actually. So if this story seems kind of weird towards the end, please forgive! I don't have a central plot fixed yet, except it's a Rimahiko FanFic...**

**So, enjoy! And I can't promise when I'll update, cause of school starting...AGH. Really nervous...don't know why. But, as I said, enjoy!**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! in any way)**

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**Chapter 1: My Evil Mistletoe Idea**

"And so, the Guardian Meeting for today will commence." Tadase said formally. Not like anyone was actually listening. As usual, Yaya was munching on all the biscuits at record speed while bugging Amu for some candy, Tadase was shuffling around his papers, Kiseki was attempting to control the other Charas lazing around, Nagihiko was pouring us tea, and I was…well…watching them all doing all these random things.

We had never changed since grade school. Was this good or bad?

Finally, Tadase got everyone's attention. "Alright. Today, we will be discussing about the organization of the upcoming Christmas Ball." Tadase said. I groaned. Another dance? We were in Year Eleven, so the amount of dances had immensely increased compared to secondary school, but I hated dances. What was up with all those twirls and swirls and frills on dresses? And manicures? And dressing up? And…and…stuff like that? I never liked dancing. My poor hand-foot coordination usually resulted in me tripping over various things, and sometimes people, unintentionally. It was really embarrassing for me and the others.

But nonetheless, fan-boys still attempted to ask me to go to the dance with them. I usually went with whomever I was currently dating. Yes, I started dating in Year Eight. It started with Kirishima-kun. He confessed to me (well, it didn't really count as a confession as I already knew his feelings for me) and seemed very serious about it, so I accepted his offer and went out with him. I was relatively happy for two weeks, because I experienced the feeling of a boyfriend, but he started getting possessive over me, insulting me for hanging around with another boy for more than five seconds without any supervision of anyone else, that soon enough, I dumped him. I started dating some other fan-boys that seemed to not only be admiring my beauty, but in the end, it turned out that most of them only wanted to either boast to the school that they'd 'conquered the Ice Queen' or they just wanted to feel me up. I was disgusted by most of them and dumped one after the other, yet I continued dating other people, trying to find the 'perfect boyfriend.' And for 3 years, I have searched, but no one met up to my standards.

It was really funny, because the moment I started dating, I realized everyone else's love life around me. Kukai and Utau got together when Kukai was in Year Nine (when I was in Year Eight). Did you know Kukai was older than Utau? He was left behind a year due to his poor grades because he played soccer too much. So they were a happy couple, trying to avoid the paparazzi every day and going on secret dates. Though it sounded romantic. I was glad for my two friends that they were happy.

Kairi miraculously came back to Seiyo in Year Nine. He managed to skip a grade (again) and got into Yaya's grade. When Yaya was dumped by her first boyfriend, Kairi comforted her and Yaya saw his soft side behind his serious visage she saw all the time. The two of them got together after much of our matchmaking (which was extremely fun!) and became an official couple at the end of Year Nine.

Amu was strong-willed. She believed in Ikuto and waited for him loyally, though after two years with no news on him, she felt her hope fading away. Finally, at the end of Year Eight, her hope completely diminished and by the beginning of Year Nine, she started dating various guys, though she said she was repulsed, like me, by most of them. Though just a few weeks ago, Ikuto suddenly appeared out of the middle of nowhere at one of our little get-togethers. This resulted in a fury of attacks from Amu, which slowly changed into blames, which then turned into complaint of her wait, which, eventually, turned into her confession of love.

And for once, Ikuto didn't smile his trademark smirk. He pecked her on her lips and promised to stay in Japan till she graduated and proposed to her, resulting in Amu blushing furiously. A series of teases ensued, with another series of 'baka-hentai- cosplay-neko' from Amu, and everything changed back to normal.

Tadase understood that Amu loved Ikuto, so he started dating random other girls in our grade. Though most of the time, he couldn't bear to break up with them so each relationship to him was, in a way, a torture.

As for Nagihiko…I can't really remember. All I remember was that the second day after Kirishima-kun and I announced our status as a couple to the school, he told us he was dating Riku, a girl in our grade that I knew fairly well. I was surprised by his sudden declaration of love for my friend. He claimed he was happy, but just like me, throughout these 3 years, he broke many hearts, dumped many girls, and was constantly changing from 'taken' to 'single.'

"For the Christmas Ball, it will be held in the gym. The basketball courts will be removed one week before the dance for our convenience. Now, we need to discuss the responsibilities of the dance." This was one of the annoying parts. We, the Guardians, needed to work _really_ hard to get the dance going smoothly for everyone. And we were responsible for the whole dance. Tadase started listing the responsibility groups.

"We will have the following groups: Decoration Committee, Food Committee, Entertainment Committee, and Dance Committee. As each name suggests, the committees will be responsible for the respective responsibilities. Dance Committee will be responsible for the actual dance's progress, as in the part where we dance." Tadase explained. "Souma-kun, Sanjou-kun and Nadeshiko-chan will be joining us as well."

I must have forgotten to mention that Nadeshiko, in a way, existed. She was sent off around the world for five years, unlike Nagihiko's simple trip to Europe for a year, travelling around from France, to Beijing, to Vietnam, to New York, to London. In Year Eight, she introduced herself to us as Nagihiko's actual twin. Nagihiko explained he'd used her identity because it was an easier name to respond to. And thus, the secret of Nagihiko being the Nadeshiko Amu knew was spilled. Amu seemed shocked but slowly, she realized that it was the Fujisaki requirement, so she got over it and quickly befriended Nadeshiko. I had regarded her carefully, still full of the whole 'I'm Amu's best friend so stay away' thing, but she quickly became one of my best friends. Yes, I now know you can have more than one best friend.

"So, Hinamori-chan, what will you sign up for?" Tadase asked formally. Amu thought about it for a moment when a familiar green barrette popped into her hair.

"FOOD IS ESSENTIAL AT A PARTY! I WILL MAKE THE BEST FOOD FOR EVERYONE!!" Amu, or Suu-chara-changed Amu's eyes burned a blazing fire, and everyone sweat- dropped. Amu de-chara-changed and glared at Suu.

"Suu!" she scolded. Suu slightly chuckled and sweat-dropped.

"Gomen, Amu-chan. But I really want to do the food~desu. You haven't been allowing me to help you with it recently~desu…" That was true. Amu had been practicing her own domestic skills recently, though there wasn't much improvement, and Suu felt slightly out of the loop.

"Suu…" Amu felt guilty about neglecting her Chara and smiled, turning back to Tadase.

"Sure. I'm in the Food Committee. I guess Nadeshiko's with me?" Amu asked. Tadase nodded slowly.

"I'm sure she'd be delighted." Tadase said. Amu smiled. She liked being with Nadeshiko a lot, I could tell. There was that slight envy in my heart, but wishing the best for my friend, that feeling quickly faded.

"Yaya wants to be in the Dance Committee with Kairi-koi!" Yaya exclaimed. Tadase smiled.

"I'm sure Sanjou-kun would be willing." He said kindly, and Yaya beamed. Tadase turned towards me and Nagihiko.

"And you two?" he asked. I thought about it and shrugged my shoulders, looking towards Nagihiko, who was looking at me. I blushed a bit from the intensity of his stare and asked him.

"What about you, Nagihiko?" I asked. Nagihiko broke the gaze and turned his attention to Tadase.

"Oh! Um…Hotori-kun, what would you like to do?" Nagihiko asked. Tadase thought about it.

"If you two don't mind, I'd rather be part of the Entertainment Committee than the Decoration Committee." Tadase said sheepishly. Kiseki took the chance and broke in.

"Let the commoners do the decorating! You, Tadase, as king, should make sure your people are having a happy time! Yes, take up Entertainment! MWAHAHAHAHA!" We all sweat-dropped and Tadase seemed embarrassed by his Chara's behavior.

"Well, I assume Souma-kun would prefer entertainment over decoration, so…" he turned towards me and smiled.

"Rima-chan, are you willing to be in the Decoration Committee with me?" he asked nicely. I couldn't say no. I mean, this has nothing to do with how he asked so sweetly and—WHAT WAS I THINKING??? This just…I didn't want to ruin Tadase's fun. If he wanted to be in the Entertainment Committee, then let him. Yes, that was the reason.

I turned my attention to Nagihiko and shrugged. "Sure. I'm fine with it." Nagihiko smiled. "But don't get any ideas, Purplehead, because you're never getting on my white list." I added, so no misunderstandings would be made. Yes, I know that whole 'I'm Amu's best friend!' thing ended, but I still hated Nagihiko for a reason. Nagihiko sweat- dropped and smiled back, causing me to turn my face away from everyone so no one would notice the slight flush on my cheeks.

"Alright. Then, we shall proceed with the details of each committee's responsibility." I heard Tadase's words, but slowly, my brain automatically tuned them out. Every time during a Guardian meeting, something similar happened. Afterwards, I'd ask Amu or Yaya for a brief on it. My mind wandered freely and I thought about the Christmas Ball. I was currently single, so I had to either find someone to date soon or simply pick a dance partner. I was actually leaning towards going there single, so I could mingle with the crowd, but I was still arguing with myself.

"Mashiro-san?" Tadase's voice penetrated through my little world's barrier and caught my attention. My mind jotted back into reality and blushed a bit, feeling embarrassed.

"Um…yeah?" I asked casually. Tadase sweat-dropped at my straightforward answer, but nonetheless continued with what he was gonna say.

"We're planning on meeting together four days later, this Friday, to discuss what we have got through so far, since next week's Friday will be the Christmas Ball. We're probably going to have a sleepover for convenience, because on Saturday, we'll be going out shopping for supplies. You should come on Friday with your bags packed. Also, get your parents' permission." I nodded. My parents were too busy anyways. Yes, they still fought. I'm actually surprised they still haven't filed for a divorce. It was obvious, even to me, that they probably stayed together for me, probably till I graduate from high school. I felt touched, but if they weren't happy together, they should separate, even if it would hurt a lot for me. They put up acts for me when I get home, but evidence if everywhere: the broken glasses that Mama 'coincidentally tripped while holding too many' and the scattered books on the ground that Papa 'unintentionally crashed into.' They thought they could hide the truth from me, but they forgot I wasn't a child anymore.

"Alright." I said. Tadase flipped through a few more papers and stood up.

"That'll be it for today's meeting." Tadase said. "Meet up with your partner and discuss about what you plan to do. I'll email the information to everyone tonight." Tadase then stood up and walked off, probably going to find Kukai, or at least that's what I thought. Or maybe his present girlfriend. Who was it, some girl named Keiko? No, I think Tadase managed to dump her last month. Whatever.

Yaya and Amu quickly left the Royal Garden, going to find their respective partners, leaving me with _my partner_ in the Royal Garden.

"So, Rima-chan, any ideas on the decoration?" Nagihiko asked. I seriously thought about it, but nothing clicked. We were missing something. Something that was needed if we were going to decorate…

"We're missing a theme." I pointed out. Nagihiko looked at me weirdly.

"Isn't the theme 'Christmas'?" Nagihiko asked. I glared at him.

"Boys…" I muttered to myself, though Nagihiko heard. He snickered.

"What's wrong with boys?" he asked. I glared back.

"Cross-dresser, everything's wrong with boys. You should've stayed as Nadeshiko." I said, bringing back a certain painful memory I knew he wouldn't like. Sure enough, he flinched.

"You know I hate being reminded of that." Nagihiko said. I smirked.

"Exactly why I reminded you of it." Nagihiko frowned, but quickly got us back to topic.

"So…according to you, there should be a theme to this dance besides Christmas?" he asked. I nodded.

"Christmas is too vague. I mean, Christmas includes gift-giving, pine trees, ornaments, Santa Claus that I do _not_ believe in though KusuKusu does, and mistletoes…" I stopped at the thought and blushed, in which Nagihiko took the opportunity to tease me.

"Awh…is Rima-chan thinking of kissing her next boyfriend on Christmas?" Nagihiko teased. I glared at him.

"Yes." I hissed. This startled him. He looked slightly taken aback. But I got him back on topic. Because I had an idea. He could probably tell, because of my smirk.

"And I believe Rima-chan, you have a brilliant evil plan, right?" he asked. I smirked.

"Sadly, you know me too well." He muttered something but I couldn't hear. I didn't care. My idea was getting my excited.

"Our theme will be _mistletoes_." I declared. Nagihiko looked at me weirdly but slowly, his confusion cleared up.

"Yes. _Mistletoes._" He said, copying me. I smiled.

"Mistletoes…" we both said, already conjuring up of various ways to use mistletoes to our advantage. A smirk plastered itself on both of us.

This Christmas Ball was gonna be one fun time.

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**I kinda felt like there wasn't much that actually happened...but please understand, because I need to introduce how the characters were doing...and I took the liberty of describing their love lives... ^_^ So now you understand the situation of everyone! If you don't understand some part, please tell me, cause I can understand since it was a bit confusing to myself too... -_- Yes I'm weird. I don't even understand what I wrote.**

**So, hope you liked it! Sorry for any mistakes. As I said, I'll try to update, but no guarentees.**

**~~*Hope-chan*~~**


	2. Chapter 2: Nadeshiko's Secret Boyfriend

**Hey everyone! I might not update as often in the future because SCHOOL'S STARTING. AND I DIDN'T GET IN MY FRIENDS' CLASS. To be nice to say, I got into the 'drama' class with a few...drama queens in my class. Do you get the point? Ah, should I add some drama kings too? This isn't going well, and my friend isn't in my class. Sigh.**

**Ah well. No one cares about my ramblings anyways. --goes sobbing in a corner--**

**Sorry about that.**

**By the way, the things in ****parenthesis are still Rima's thoughts, not mine. If they're mine, I'll usually put A/N at the beginning and bold the parenthesized words.**

**Ie:**

Afterwards, Nagihiko died (much to my dismay).

**Much to my dismay would be what Rima thought.**

**Ie 2:**

Afterwards, Nagihiko died (**A/N: Don't worry! He'll revive soon!)**

**That would be me talking to you. Alright? Cause I'm afriad some people might think what Rima is thinking is what I'm thinking, which isn't.**

**Also, the story will be from Rima's POV, unless specified. I wanna try to keep to Rima's POV though.**

**Anyways, enjoy the story! I had fun writing this one! Hehe!**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! in any way)**

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**Chapter 2:**** Nadeshiko's Secret Boyfriend**

The week flew past quickly. Nagihiko and I got together occasionally to discuss our plans on our mistletoe idea, which produced fruitful results.

"So we have a 'mistletoe' corner for the singles to find a partner?" I asked, sincerely intrigued by his idea. He smiled and nodded eagerly.

"Yeah. Knowing Kukai, he's probably gonna get Utau over to sing for entertainment. And knowing Utau, she's probably gonna tell everyone to grab a partner for the last song to dance together. So if they're single, they might not have the courage to randomly grab a partner. The Mistletoe Corner, or rather a room, will be open at the last 20 minutes before Utau's last song, so everyone can get a partner and the dance will proceed more smoothly." I nodded, understanding Nagihiko's plan.

"Hey! I can't believe I'm saying this but good idea Purplehead!" I exclaimed excitedly, though Nagihiko sweat-dropped at the mention of Purplehead.

"Rima-chan…why won't you call me by my name? I'm not asking you to call me Nagi, but please at least Fujisaki-san? Not just random nicknames you've given me!" Nagihiko exclaimed. I actually remembered I called him Nagihiko a couple of days back, but he probably forgot. Looking at him, I couldn't tell if he was serious or just joking around. His face seemed to serious…so solemn…

"Fine…" His face lighted up, and I smirked, "…_girly boy_." His smile dropped and his eyes narrowed down to a glint, when his own smirk got itself stuck on his face.

"Fine…_chibi devil_." He said. I glared at him. He knew how I hated people calling me little.

"You are _not_ allowed to call me chibi." I said seriously, while Nagihiko pretended to be innocently whistling.

"Hmm? You said something, _chibi devil?_" he teased. I glared harshly at him, but it didn't work. Finally, I gave in.

"Fine. Fujisaki-san, would you please stop calling me chibi devil?" I asked in a sarcastic polite tone. Nagihiko smiled.

"Sure, Rima-chan." It was pretty weird when I called him Fujisaki-san and he called me Rima-chan. But who cared?

"Alright. So we have 'Mistletoe Corner.' Why do I feel like we're doing Tadase's job?" I asked rhetorically. Nagihiko smiled.

"Cause we are." He replied simply. I sweat-dropped at his direct answer.

"Anyways, proceeding with the actual _Decoration Committee_ plan…" Nagihiko said, grabbing out another stack of papers from his _frickin' well-organized folder that looked like a girl's_.

Situations similar to the above happened throughout the week.

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"RIMA-TAN! AMU-CHII! NADE-NEE-CHAN! KUKAI! AND…EVERYONE ELSE!" Yaya exclaimed loudly, running towards the Royal Garden at target speed. Everyone sweat-dropped at her attempt to call everyone's names, cause there were a lot. There was me, Nagihiko, Nadeshiko, Tadase, Amu, Kairi, Kukai, and even Utau (in a disguise) and Ikuto. Utau insisted on coming, since she was singing at the ball, while Ikuto invited himself, as always.

"Alright. So…who's house are we going to?" I asked. Everyone turned to look towards Tadase, except for two people. Guess who?

No, not Utau and Ikuto. Any other two people that shared a house?

Yes: the Fujisaki twins.

"The Fujisaki household?" I asked before Tadase said anything. He looked at me weirdly and nodded.

"Yes, Mashiro-san. How did you know?" he asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Cause only those two aren't looking at you for your answer. And I realized they're the only ones who didn't bring their PJs and stuff." I explained. Tadase nodded, understanding what I meant. Then, suddenly, I realized what I'd said.

"WHAT? WE'RE GOING TO THE FUJISAKI'S???" I blurted out. Everyone sweat-dropped.

"Yeah…that's what you said…" Amu said. I looked around frantically for help, my eyes landing on Tadase.

"WHY?" I asked. Tadase seemed slightly taken aback. He probably thought I had killed someone there or something.

"Um…because Hinamori-san said her dad barely allowed her to go to the sleepover, and having boys over at her house would not be possible, Yaya says that if we slept over at her house, we'd need to take care of Tsubasa and deal with his cries in the middle of night and someone would have to switch his diaper, Kukai said that he had too many brothers, Ikuto-nii-san and Utau-nee-san said that their father had his music pieces scattered all around the house, Sanjou-kun said his sister was having a date with her boyfriend at their home tonight, and not me because my grandma…she's sick…so I can't make a nuisance. The Fujisakis have a big house, and no troublesome siblings, and an understanding mother. Of course, if you want, we can go to your house." Tadase pointed out.

I thought about it, but a split second later, I knew that it wouldn't be possible. The thought of one person sleepover-ing was weird enough, let alone…however many people there were.

"Awh…does Rima-chan really not like my house? Or someone inside…?" Nagihiko teased. I glared at him.

"Precisely because you're gonna be there." I hissed.

"So I was right."

"About?"

"You don't wanna go to my house cause I'll be there."

"Precisely. _Cross-dresser_." Dang, I loved that nickname, even though I promised to call him by his real name. Nagihiko flinched once more, looking slightly pained, and silently sent an SOS signal to Nadeshiko that I somehow noticed.

"Alright everyone. So we're going to my house?" she asked. Everyone nodded and Nadeshiko smiled.

"Alright! Let's go then!" She led the way, and I took care to walk at the back of the line, whilst Nagihiko was at the front. He probably felt the daggers I was shooting at him cause he didn't fall behind. He stayed right behind his sister.

Suddenly, Nadeshiko's cell phone rang. _One in a Million_ by Miley Cyrus filled the air. Among us, Nadeshiko, Nagihiko, Kairi, Utau, Ikuto, and I knew English. Nadeshiko and Nagihiko because they both went to Europe before, Kairi cause he was just so smart, Utau because she had debuts around the world, including America, Ikuto because he went to Europe to look for his father, and me because, well, you probably didn't know but I came from Europe before coming to Seiyo.

"Nade…" Nagihiko began ominously, and Nadeshiko gulped. It was known by the…_gang _that Nagihiko was awfully overprotective of his sister. Nadeshiko didn't know if she should feel happy she had a protective brother or bothered she could never have a stable relationship.

"Um…I'll pick up the phone now…so…" Nadeshiko gulped at Nagihiko's evil aura spreading out, even towards us. Nadeshiko flipped her cell phone open and clicked on the green phone button, connecting the radio waves between her and who we assumed was her secret boyfriend.

"Um…yes?" Nadeshiko said vaguely into her phone. We couldn't hear what the dialer was saying.

"Well…now's not really a good time…" Nadeshiko winced when she saw Nagihiko take a step towards her. She took a step back, knowing he was aiming for her cell phone. All of us just watched. The non-English speakers had about figured out about Nadeshiko's secret boyfriend dialer. This happened quite often, and the results were always relatively amusing.

"Nade…give me the cell phone." Nagihiko pronounced each word slowly and clearly, yet in a chilling way. Nadeshiko gulped.

"Um…well…I gotta go use the bathroom now so…I'll call you back la—" Nadeshiko was cut off when Nagihiko suddenly lunged for her cell phone. To protect her cell phone, Nadeshiko shut the lid and quickly slid it into her pocket. Nagihiko was irritated he couldn't get her cell phone and lunged for her pocket, though Nadeshiko gracefully dodged out of the way.

"Um…so…minna…follow us!" Nadeshiko laughed nervously, as she ran off in a general direction down the street, with Nagihiko chasing after her. Kukai smirked.

"Hey, let's have a race to Nagi's home!" Kukai exclaimed. Everyone backed away, knowing Kukai too well. All, except for our one and only Hoshina Utau, who glared at him.

"You're on." She said. And before we knew it, the two of them had darted off while still holding their belongings in their hands. It was a miracle they were still running so fast while carrying their suitcases and glaring at each other while a smile flickered on their mouths.

"Well, I guess we should keep up before we lose them…" Tadase said. Ikuto charanaried with Yoru and carried Amu up, much to her protests, and led her after the racing Kukai and Utau. As for the rest of us, we slightly stared at the sight. Yaya must have been sugar high, because she blurted out, "KAIRI-KOI! LET'S GO TOO!" and dragged his arm, racing after Ikuto. Which left me and Tadase standing like two idiots, though we were the only two that were sane.

"Um…should we follow Yaya and Sanjou-kun?" Tadase asked hesitantly. I sighed exasperatedly.

"Yeah. Let's go." I picked up my belongings and followed after Kairi, who was being dragged by Yaya, who was following Amu, who was being held bridal style by Ikuto, who was chasing after the racing Kukai and Utau, who were glaring at each other while trying to keep a raging Nagihiko chasing after a fearful Nadeshiko.

We probably looked weird. Yet again, when were we not?

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"Give me your name. Age. Birthday. Blood type. How long have you been dating Nade? What are you past experiences in love?" Nagihiko demanded in the phone. Most of us sweat-dropped at the scene, while Nadeshiko sighed tiredly.

"Onii-chan…" Nadeshiko tried, but Nagihiko silenced her with his glare.

"Fine. In 10 minutes. And if you're late, don't plan on even hearing Nade's voice ever again. In which I mean something will happen to _you_." Nagihiko said angrily and hung up the phone. He then turned around to face a slightly fearful Nadeshiko and smiled in a chilling way.

"So, my dear, dear sister Nade, I believe we have much to catch up on!" he exclaimed in a cheerful voice that made the situation much scarier. Nagihiko continued smiling his fake bright smile.

"So, I've invited that _boyfriend_ of yours to come join in our little get-together!" Nagihiko spat out the word boyfriend. We all sweat-dropped. Nadeshiko seemed a bit tired.

"Fine. But I'll prove to you this time that Ryuu-kun's different." Nadeshiko said confidently. Nagihiko raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure, Nade? The last time you said that, I believe…that boyfriend went home cursing that he ever met you. Aren't you glad I took care of him for you?" Nagihiko asked rhetorically. Nadeshiko looked away. Suddenly, the door bell rang. Nagihiko checked the clock on the wall and walked over towards the door.

"Well, if it isn't Nade's _boyfriend_. Welcome to our household. Get your butt in before I kick it in." Nagihiko said harshly. We continued to sweat-drop as a fairly tall boy with unruly crimson colored hair and a pair of dazzling sea green eyes entered the room. I suddenly recognized him as one of our senpais, in Kukai's grade.

"Um…Nade-chan? Is your brother alright?" Ryuu asked hesitantly. Nadeshiko laughed nervously.

"Um…yeah…he's a bit…um…yeah." Nadeshiko trailed off. Suddenly, Ryuu caught sight of Kukai.

"Hey, Kukai! Long time no see, pal!" The two greeted each other with a weird guy's handshake and patted each other's backs.

"Arai! Never knew you were Nade's boyfriend!" Kukai exclaimed. Not the right thing to say.

"He might not be for long." Nagihiko said ominously, entering the door. We were in the living room, a door away from the waiting room, in which there was the door leading outside the household. Ryuu gulped and looked towards Nagihiko.

"Err…Fujisaki-san? Do you still need me to give you an update on me?" he asked. Nagihiko sat down on the sofa and motioned for Ryuu to sit down in a seat directly in front of him, a single couch. Ryuu took the seat. This was interesting. It was the first time we'd seen Nagihiko actually interrogate Nadeshiko's boyfriend.

"Yes. Name. Age. Birthday. Blood type. Everything, anything, and if I find out something's missing…oh, let's just say your head will be meeting Mr. Basketball soon." Nagihiko said, even though he was talking to his senpai.

Ryuu gulped and looked towards Nadeshiko for help. Nagihiko saw that.

"And no asking Nade for help on what to say. Tell me the truth, everything and anything about the truth." Nagihiko said. Ryuu gulped.

"Um…alright. I'm called Arai Ryuu. I'm a senior at Seiyo High School, and I'm turning 18 on March 24th. My blood type is B…" Nagihiko interrupted.

"Blood type B: stick to their goals. Less cooperative. Follow own rules and ideas. Individualists. Ruled by impulses. Continue please." We all gulped. Nagihiko seriously sounded really scary. Did he memorize the encyclopedia?

"Um…yeah. So…I've dated Nadeshiko-chan for about three months…" Ryuu said nervously. Nagihiko exploded and stood up.

"THREE MONTHS?? THREE MONTHS, AND I HAVEN'T NOTICED??" It sounded like he was blaming himself. Nagihiko took a deep breath and collapsed back down into his sofa. "So since the end of summer?" Nagihiko asked. Ryuu nodded carefully.

"How did you two meet." Nagihiko asked…err…more of demanded. Ryuu gulped and started their story.

"Well…there was a Beach Festival the school held for Kukai and my grade, remember? And then, Nadeshiko-chan was coincidentally there to deliver Kukai his basketball he'd left when he was playing with you at school. And so I met her and asked her to take a drink with me and she agreed. And so we ended up playing beach volleyball together and she and I won because she really could jump high."

"So you're dating her because of her sports ability?"

"N—no! Of course not! That was only the beginning. Then, we sometimes met at school and eventually, I got to know her better. She's sweet, caring, kind, polite, and nice, and I asked her out and she said yes." Ryuu finished, cautiously watching Nagihiko's countenance. Nagihiko studied Ryuu cautiously and finally closed his eyes. Silence enshrouded the room, and finally, Nagihiko opened his eyes.

"Alright. You still have a chance. Prove your worth to me before the Christmas Ball and I'll think about it." Unexpectedly, Nadeshiko was the one to burst out into cheers.

"YES! See, Onii-chan, told ja he'd be different!" Nadeshiko pointed out. Nagihiko looked at her, but glared at Ryuu.

"And I'm warning you, if you make Nade cry in _any way_, hurting her, cheating on her, unintentionally or not, make sure you reserve a room in the hospital for people in comas." Nagihiko threatened. Ryuu gulped and nodded, while Nagihiko turned and walked out of the living room towards the kitchen.

"Um…Nade-chan? Is he serious?" Ryuu asked nervously, forcing a laugh. Nadeshiko's face turned very solemn.

"Yes…" she whispered. "If you hurt me unintentionally, it'll be a less…painful punishment, but if you actually cheat on me…you can go ask my first boyfriend that I dated in 9th grade about what happened to him. I think he's in the hospital though, in his coma, so…" Nadeshiko trailed off, leaving us all imagining Nagihiko beating up someone. It was actually pretty hard, since he was usually all smiling and polite and stuff. Who knew he was so protective?

"Sorry…Ryuu-kun…" Nadeshiko said. Ryuu embraced her in a hug and smiled.

"It's alright. For you, it's worth it." He whispered in her ear. Nadeshiko chuckled and Nagihiko came back to the room fully annoyed.

"Do your lovey-dovey things somewhere out of the house, please, Nade. And you, remember our deal." Nagihiko glared at Ryuu, who nodded. Nagihiko then took a deep breathe.

Mood swing.

"Alright! Wanna settle down first in the rooms?" Nagihiko asked in his usual cheerful tone. We all sweat-dropped at the sudden change but nodded.

It was gonna be one crazy sleepover. Suddenly, three voices burst out at the same time:

"IKUTO! YOU BAKA-HENTAI-COSPLAY-NEKO! WHY'D YOU SUDDENLY CARRY ME?"

"KAIRI-KOI!! WE WERE TOO SLOW!!"

"Hah, Utau! I won! Now, for my reward, I want a kiss!"

The following reactions:

*smirk* (Guess who?)

"Um…g—gomen, Yaya…"

"WHAT?? I DEMAND A REMATCH!!"

And Nagihiko glaring at Ryuu, Ryuu gulping, Nadeshiko looking between the two boys, and Tadase trying to calm everyone down and horribly failing.

Was I the only sane one left? Perhaps.

* * *

**Hehe! It was fun writing about Nadeshiko's boyfriend! Secret boyfriend! And as always, Nagihiko is overprotective...yes, I know, kinda cliched, but ah well.**

**Hope you liked it! Sorry for any mistakes, as usual.**

**~~*Hope-chan*~~**


	3. Chapter 3: Christmas Ball Planning

**Hey. School started. I'm not with any of my friends, but it turned out I only had one drama queen in my class. Yippee! I'm befriending the new student currently. She's really pretty! Tall, pale skin, has a good fashion taste (at least better than me), thin (in a good way), and though she wears glasses, they make her look more mature. That's what I think of her. I hope I'll get to know her better.**

**Alright, sorry for this author's note kind of serving as a blog...anyways, as I said, I might get in a weird updating schedule in the future cause of school...yeah. So...wish me luck! Hope you enjoy!**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! in any way)**

* * *

**Chapter 3:**** Christmas Ball Planning**

"Who knew your brother had this other side." I whispered to Nadeshiko as the girls were unpacking in the same room. Nadeshiko sighed exasperatedly.

"I'm truly unsure if I should be happy that I have such a protective brother or be sad that he's not letting me take risks. Sometimes, I feel kind of…bored with everything being the same. I want a challenge. To take a risk." Nadeshiko trailed off in her own thoughts, carrying her futon away, seeming to neglect and forget my existence, at which I sweat-dropped.

"Oi! Girls! Are you done yet?" Kukai's voice came from outside the closed door. All the girls sighed annoyingly.

"NO!" we exclaimed for probably the 5th time in the last 10 minutes. A series of groans were heard from outside as we ignored them and continued our unpacking.

"Seriously, boys are so inconsiderate!" Amu exclaimed. All the other girls seemed to agree.

"I know! I mean, I went shopping once for, oh, only about 5 hours and Kukai was complaining I was buying too much and he had too much to carry! Sheesh! And he was supposed to be the man!" Utau joined in the riot. Yaya decided to participate as well.

"Well…Kairi-koi sometimes annoys Yaya so much with his seriousness! Yaya wants Kairi to loosen up. LOOOOSSSEEENENNNNN UPPPPPPPP!!!!" Yaya stressed the last two words, at which we sweat-dropped, once again.

"I know! I mean, Ryuu-kun's nice and sweet and all that, but sometimes, boys just don't understand what's going on inside our hearts and unintentionally trample on our feelings." Nadeshiko added. I decided it was my time to join in as well.

"I know. They're so picky. We just need a little more time, a little more favors, that's it! Sheesh!" I exclaimed. All the girls seemed to nod in understanding.

That voice came again.

"Oi! Girls!" Kukai yelled. "Are y—"

"NO!" we exclaimed for the 6th time.

* * *

"FINALLY!" Kukai groaned when we finally got downstairs. In the living room sat five extremely impatient boys.

"Well, why didn't you have Fujisaki-san entertain you with his stories as Nadeshiko? And explain why girls take so long?" I retorted back, unintentionally bringing Nagihiko into the conversation. It seemed like I had a bad habit of insulting Nagihiko every chance I had.

At which Nagihiko flinched again. Though the boys got interested in the topic.

"Hey Nagi, you can answer our girl problems! So, why do girls like to shop around so much and require boys to do the slave work?" Kukai asked.

"And why do they tend to claim they hate me when I know they love me?" Ikuto asked slyly, causing Amu to blush.

Yaya gave her best glare at Kairi (which turned out awfully weird, since it was babyish yet serious in a way) and Kairi didn't say anything. Tadase didn't say anything, being the polite guy he was.

Nagihiko wasn't sure how to respond.

"Um…um…oh!" he exclaimed. "I'm sure your _girlfriends_ would know the answer," at which Kukai and Ikuto turned around to find a severely ticked off Utau and Amu. They gulped and turned to run away, in which their respective girlfriends dragged them by the collar into the next room. Screams and shouts of mercy ensued, soon along with a 'BAKA-COSPLAY-NEKO-HENTAI' from our one and only strawberry.

"See Kairi-koi? Don't learn from those boys. That way, Yaya won't have to beat you." Yaya said cheerfully. Kairi gulped.

"Y—yes, Yaya-s—Yaya." Yaya insisted Kairi call her Yaya, but he felt it was inappropriate and was currently attempting to change from Yaya-san to Yaya.

Eventually, a glaring Utau and Kukai, who had probably got into another competition, a blushing Amu, and a smirking Ikuto entered from the other room. Everyone looked at them weirdly. Utau and Kukai had fire burning in their eyes while Ikuto was smirking his trademark smirk while Amu was…to state it simply, pulling a strawberry.

"Um…alright. So now, we'll get the meeting started, alright?" Tadase said, trying to get everyone's attention. Eventually, he did, after splitting up Utau and Kukai who wouldn't stop glaring at each other, and got everyone back to the main topic.

"Alright. Would everyone first get with their partners? And Utau-nee-san, Ikuto-nii-san, you may sit out on this. Thank you for coming though." Tadase said formally. Ikuto nodded, travelling to the kitchen, probably to find some catnip (though I doubted Nagihiko would have any) and Utau glared at Kukai once more before going to the bathroom. The rest of us scooted around the floor/sofas, getting with our partners. Nagihiko walked over to sit down on the couch next to me, smiling to greet me, while I turned away. I wasn't in the mood to talk to him.

"Alright. Now, everyone will report about how your committee is going. Souma-kun and I will go first." Tadase said. Nagihiko and I had told him, Kukai, and Utau about the 'Mistletoe Corner' idea, which Utau was immensely pleased with, Kukai seemed to like, and Tadase seemed interested in, and it immediately got into their 'yes list.' Tadase explained about their entertainment ideas, in which Utau would sing (as predicted by Nagihiko), there would be a booth to request songs, and certain games at certain intervals.

"Souma-kun and I have made a list of games to play during the middle of the dance, and games that will be available in the 'Entertainment Corner.'" Tadase said, listing down the names that he had. There was nothing particular with the games: Four Corners, Twister, etc. and including a Gift Exchange at the end. Each participant was required to bring a gift and at the end, everyone would receive a gift. Along with that, there was going to be a Secret Santa booth, in which we were going to help give around secret gifts (or cards) to everyone, mainly for girls and boys. After Tadase and Kukai's explanation (in which all Kukai really did was add a sentence here and there), it continued to the Food Committee.

"Alright!" Amu exclaimed enthusiastically, with the help from a certain blonde chef and a clover barrette. Though it soon disappeared. After a scolding for Suu again, Amu rambled off the list of foods that she and Nadeshiko would make or purchase.

"Nadeshiko and I agreed on making most of the foods fast foods. Due to the hours being from 9:00-2:00, most will be done with dinner, so most of our foods will be desserts and pastries of the kind. Though some main dishes will be served, in case they get hungry towards the end of the dance. We don't want people to be leaving because they're hungry. Desserts include the usual: cookies, brownies, pie, cinnamon rolls, cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, blueberry muffins, etc." Dang, she was getting me hungry.

"As for purchased foods, we'll be buying the usual drinks: soda, juice, sports drinks, and water. Also, we'll be buying chips and some cookies, along with some main dishes."

"As Amu-chan said, our rough plan will be that. All foods will be made the day of the Christmas Ball. We have already gotten special permission from our teachers to take the day off and spend it in the Home Ec classroom."

"Hey! That's unfair! I wanna skip class too!" I whined. Nadeshiko smiled while chuckling nervously.

"Um…you could come help if you want. With Onii-chan. And I'll help you and Onii-chan." Nadeshiko offered. I cheered.

"YES! I can skip Sato-sensei's math test!" I cheered. Everyone else was about to ask but Nagihiko silenced them with his glare. So Nagihiko and us lucked off. Hee!

And then, the Dance Committee explained about their plan.

"YAYA WANTS TO SAY!" Yaya exclaimed enthusiastically. Kairi didn't seem to mind, so Yaya explained to us about their plan.

"As Kukai has already explained, Kairi-koi and Yaya are inviting UTAU-CHAN to play for us! She will be able to play any song, it doesn't have to be Christmas-centric, but please make at least some of them Christmas-y! Students can request songs at our song booth, which Utau-chan will randomly pick a song everyone thirty minutes. Utau-chan won't be singing the whole time, cause that would be too tiring! Instead, she's only singing in the beginning for three songs, and then at the end for five songs, while every 30 minutes from one song requested. In the middle, we'll have songs on the intercom!" Yaya exclaimed happily, glad to have figured it all out, though I bet Kairi had thought out all that. Everyone thought of that too, probably, judging from their facial expressions.

"Alright. Decoration Committee, please." Tadase said. I looked up to Nagihiko, who was looking at me, at which I turned away cause I didn't want to talk. Nagihiko probably got the hint, because he took the initiative and explained about everything we'd got down so far.

"We're planning on having a big Christmas tree placed in the center of the gym, with the gifts for the gift exchange being placed under the tree. That area will be off limits to students. Utau will be able to sing on a stage that will be formed with the bleachers. The dance floor, as Yaya mentioned, will be directly in front of the stage. Towards the left will be the entertainment corner, and on the right will be the table for the foods and drinks. As for our decoration theme, we've decided on _mistletoes_." At this, a smirk grew on Nagihiko's face. He probably remembered our genius plan. Our _secret, evil, mastermind, brilliant, genius_ plan.

"Mistletoes?" Nadeshiko asked questioningly at her brother, trying to read him through. But Nagihiko just smirked at everyone.

"You'll know in due time. This'll be a secret between me and Rima-chan." He said, placing a finger on his lips and winking at everyone. Was it just me or did it sound a bit like…

"Did you two kiss under a mistletoe recently or something? That's what it sounds like." Amu said. The smirk on Nagihiko became a slight frown with a blush, while I glared at her. Thank goodness everyone shut up.

Baaya came into the room at precisely 7:30 and told us to go have dinner. We scurried over to the dining room and had a very traditional Japanese dinner (_very_ Japanese, even for a Japanese. Am I speaking weird? Perhaps.), filling up our stomachs very much.

"Hey, who knew girly boy and dancing girl got so good food?" Ikuto commented, eating his yakizakana. If you couldn't tell, Ikuto had nicknames for everyone. Amu was, as usual, strawberry, I was shrimp (this ticked me off), Nagihiko was girly boy, Nadeshiko was dancing girl, Tadase was kiddy king, Kukai was soccer jock, Kairi was bookworm, Yaya was hyper baby, and Utau was…Utau. Perhaps cause she was his sister. Back to Ikuto complimenting the food while using Nagihiko's nickname.

Nagihiko seemed unsure as to taking what Ikuto had said as a compliment or not.

"Yeah, Nagihiko. And Nadeshiko! You two get so good food!" Amu followed up, complimenting. The Charas on the side were having their bite-sized meal (bite-sized to us). Suu floated over to the twins who were sitting next to each other.

"I'd like to meet the chef~desu! Is it your mother? Or father?" Suu asked, fully interested. Nagihiko and Nadeshiko seemed slightly uncomfortable, looking at each other hesitantly. I don't know how, but something convinced me to make me break the awkwardness (wherever that came from) for them.

"Do we have anymore work to do today?" I asked, totally unrelated to the topic. Though Tadase turned towards me and answered, which got everyone's attention.

"No, Mashiro-san. We're done with all the jobs today, at least. We can fully enjoy ourselves after dinner." I nodded. Nagihiko and Nadeshiko eyed me weirdly, probably wondering why I saved them, though I responded by focusing on my rice. They shrugged it off quickly though.

After dinner, we went back to the living room. For awhile, we just lazed around. We were all full from the great meal and lied around lazily for awhile. But soon afterwards, we each one by one grew tired from the boredom.

"Whoa, it's already 9:30." Utau commented. Everyone stayed silent, since they didn't know what to say. As Tadase had said, we had no more work to do, so we could enjoy ourselves. I looked at them, unsure of what to do, yet anticipant. After all, it was just recently that I was allowed to walked home by myself, go to sleepovers, etc. So whatever they did previously at sleepovers I had no clue, which in a way made me feel left out. So I was really excited. This was my 3rd sleepover with everyone. At the first one, I fell asleep because I wasn't used to staying up yet, and at the 2nd one, I got used to the time but eventually I fell asleep at the movie we'd watched. This time, I'd actually see what we'd do at a sleepover!

"Let's play a game." Utau suggested. Kukai shook his head.

"No. We should play DDR!" Kukai said. "And we can have a showdown!"

"YOU'RE ON!"

"Maybe we should sing karaoke?"

"YES! LET'S SING. KUKAI, WANNA COMPETE IN THAT?"

"How about something smaller?"

"A movie?"

And somehow…I felt kinda left out.

But that was what made it exciting! Cause I didn't know what was coming!

* * *

**Hee. I feel this chapter...serves as a filler purpose...--sigh-- Little Rimahiko fluff, sorry, readers. I'm thinking that I need to add more other pairings fluff, of Amuto, Kutau, Kaiya, and...great, NadeshikoXRyuu pairing...Ryuushiko? Nadeshryuu? They sound...weird...anyways, you readers can help brainstorm. Nadryuu? By the way, I don't know if I'm pronouncing this right, but I pronounce 'Ryuu' as "Ree-you." Quickly. Get it? Help with the pairing name! Though it doesn't really matter...since he's an OC anyways. Sorry. Personally, I'm not a TadaseXNadeshiko fan...so...I made someone up.**

**Hope you liked it! I'll try to fix an updating schedule, but with these first few days of class, you'll never know.**

**~~*Hope-chan*~~**


	4. Chapter 4: Karaoke Fun

**Alright. If you haven't yet, you should go check out my (updated!) profile. For those who are lazy and don't want to, I'll tell you right here: I'll be updating twice a week from now on, once on the weekends and once sometimes during the weekdays. This is because (none other than) school started. BOOOOO!! (for you. Though you get rather bored of summer vacation after awhile if you aren't with your friends.) Alright, just to let you know so you won't be spamming me when I don't post. :P**

**Thanks for all the reviews. They give me a reason to keep on writing...or else I'll think no one likes this story...-_- Yes, I'm very...______ Fill in the blank with whatever.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! or Hot by Avril Lavigne, Check Yes Juliet by We the Kings, Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguilera, Crush by David Archuleta (I can NEVER get his last name right! I just copy-pasted from below), Miss Indepedent by Kelly Clarkson, 4 Minutes by Madonna/Justin Timberlake, or The Start of Something New by High School Musical. Again, please do not insult my music tastes. I LIKE THESE MUSICS! (fine, not the High School Musical one that much, but that was one of the...three duet songs I had that made sense).**

**Chapter 4:** Karaoke Fun

After a long debate, finally, everyone settled on karaoke first. Immediately, I stood up.

"Hey! Rima, you can't back out!" Amu exclaimed. But I insisted.

"But…but I can't sing…" I muttered the last part, so no one heard.

"Hmm? You said something?" Amu asked, as she was reaching for the mic.

"I…I CAN'T SING!" I yelled out. I was lying. Lying. I knew how to sing. Back in the beginning of my high school years, I was in a state of melancholy after Kirishima-kun and I broke up. I know _I_ dumped him, but those visions of the 'perfect boyfriend' disappeared, along with my fantasies, that frankly, turned out really scary. I had rushed home after dumping him switched on the TV to find my comedy show, but I found myself on the music channel instead. I was about to switch channels when the song caught me. It described me then. And I knew it, so I started humming, which turned to whispering the lyrics to myself, which turned to singing, probably because no one was home. And since then, singing was a kind of secret solace for me.

"Awh, come on. No one can not be able to sing!" Kukai insisted. Nadeshiko finished setting up their family's karaoke system (they're rich!).

"So…who goes first?" I asked. No one volunteered, and I sweat-dropped.

"Hey, I used to have this thing we did when no one would sing for karaoke." Utau said. "It's like we draw lots for the order, and whoever is in front of you, you pick the song for him/her." Everyone nodded at the idea and drew lots.

This was the order:

Utau—Kukai—Yaya—Amu—Ikuto—Tadase—Kairi—Nadeshiko—Nagihiko—me.

Yippee! At least I was last!

"Alright. I'm first." Utau said. I took the liberty and took a step towards the karaoke song choosing machine (separate from the TV. They really are rich!) Finally, I caught a familiar looking song and smirked at Utau, who looked at me dangerously. Nonetheless, I pressed the button for that song.

"WHAT?" she blurted out, though Kukai seemed very amused.

"Great choice, Mashiro! Alright now, Utau, just sing the song and everything will be over!" Everyone laughed at Utau's misfortune. She glared at me and turned back to the song.

_Hot__ by Avril Lavigne_

_Ah, ah ah  
You're so good to me baby, baby__  
You make me so hot  
Make me wanna drop  
It's so ridiculous  
I can barely stop  
I can hardly breathe  
You make me wanna scream  
You're so fabulous  
You're so good to me baby, baby  
You're so good to me baby, baby_

I wanna lock you up in my closet when no one's around  
I wanna put your hand in my pocket because you're allowed  
I wanna drive you into the corner and kiss you without a sound  
I wanna stay this way forever I'll say it loud

Now you're in, and you can't get out

You make me so hot  
Make me wanna drop  
It's so ridiculous  
I can barely stop  
I can hardly breathe  
You make me wanna scream  
You're so fabulous  
You're so good to me baby, baby  
You're so good to me baby, baby

I can make you feel all better, just take it in  
And I can show you all the places you've never been  
And I can make you say everything that you've never said  
And I will let you do anything again and again

Now you're in, and you can't get out

You make me so hot  
Make me wanna drop  
It's so ridiculous  
I can barely stop  
I can hardly breathe  
You make me wanna scream  
You're so fabulous  
You're so good to me baby, baby  
You're so good to me baby, baby

Kiss me gently  
Always I know  
Hold me, love me  
Don't ever go  
Ooh, yeah yeah

You make me so hot  
Make me wanna drop  
It's so ridiculous  
I can barely stop  
I can hardly breathe  
You make me wanna scream  
You're so fabulous  
You're so good to me baby, baby  
You're so good to me baby, baby

You're so good.

Utau finished the song and glared at me. But before long, she was cut off by a kiss from Kukai, much to our delight. She smiled at Kukai but then glared at me.

"Alright, my turn!" Kukai exclaimed. Utau smirked and searched carefully in the songs list, finally choosing a song.

"WHAT?" Kukai exclaimed. "WHY?" he said, looking at Utau with a have-mercy look. Utau pretended to look innocent.

"Why, I don't know? Cause I like it? Now sing, Kukai." She ordered, smirking evilly. Kukai groaned but sang regardless.

_Check Yes Juliet__ by We the Kings_

_Check yes Juliet  
Are you with me?  
Rain is falling down on the sidewalk  
I won't go until you come outside  
Check yes Juliet  
Kill the limbo  
I'll keep tossing rocks at your window  
There's no turning back for us tonight_

Lace up your shoes  
(Hey oh, hey oh)  
Here's how we do,

Run baby, run  
Don't ever look back  
They'll tear us apart  
If you give them the chance  
Don't sell your heart  
Don't say we're not meant to be  
Run baby, run  
Forever we'll be  
You and me

Check yes Juliet  
I'll be waiting  
Wishing, wanting  
Yours for the taking  
Just sneak out,  
And don't tell a soul goodbye  
Check yes Juliet  
Here's the countdown  
3, 2, 1, now fall in my arms now  
They can change the locks,  
Don't let them change your mind

Lace up your shoes  
(hey oh, hey oh)  
Here's how we do

Run baby, run  
Don't ever look back  
They'll tear us apart  
If you give them the chance  
Don't sell your heart  
Don't say we're not meant to be  
Run baby, run  
Forever will be,  
You and me

We're flying through the night  
We're flying through the night  
Way up high,  
The view from here is getting better  
With you by my side

Run baby run  
Don't ever look back  
They'll tear us apart  
If you give them the chance  
Don't sell your heart  
Don't say we're not meant to be  
Run baby, run  
Forever we'll be...  
You and me,  
You and me,  
You and me

And Utau kissed him again. Cute couple, aren't they?

And so, similar things ensued. Everyone had fun singing their song, with Nadeshiko singing Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguilera, much to Nagihiko's dismay.

"What type of song is that? You are not to sing those songs anymore!" Nagihiko exclaimed, but Kukai held him back before he could say anymore.

"Alright, Onii-chan's turn!" she exclaimed happily. Nagihiko grumbled and Nadeshiko cheerfully went through the song selection, clicking on the song choice.

"WHAT? What did I do wrong?" he exclaimed. Nadeshiko smirked.

"But this song really describes your life now!" she said innocently. Everyone looked at her. I hadn't heard the song before, so I didn't bother.

"REALLY?" Amu exclaimed. Nadeshiko smiled innocently, while Nagihiko mumbled something under his breathe.

"Fine. But don't go making assumptions on my personal life, please." Nagihiko took adeep breathe and took the mic next to his mouth.

_Crush__ by David Archuleta_

_I hung up the phone tonight  
Something happened for the first time deep inside  
It was a rush, what a rush_

'Cause the possibility  
That you would ever feel the same way about me  
It's just too much, just too much

Why do I keep running from the truth?  
All I ever think about is you  
You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized  
And I've just got to know

Do you ever think when you're all alone  
All that we can be, where this thing can go?  
Am I crazy or falling in love?  
Is it real or just another crush?

Do you catch a breath when I look at you?  
Are you holding back like the way I do?  
'Cause I'm trying and trying to walk away  
But I know this crush ain't goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy  
Goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy

Has it ever crossed your mind  
When we're hanging, spending time girl, are we just friends?  
Is there more, is there more?

See it's a chance we've gotta take  
'Cause I believe that we can make this into something that will last  
Last forever, forever

Do you ever think when you're all alone  
All that we can be, where this thing can go?  
Am I crazy or falling in love?  
Is it real or just another crush?

Do you catch a breath when I look at you?  
Are you holding back like the way I do?  
'Cause I'm trying and trying to walk away  
But I know this crush ain't goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy  
Goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy

Why do I keep running from the truth?  
All I ever think about is you  
You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized  
And I've just got to know

Do you ever think when you're all alone  
All that we can be, where this thing can go?  
Am I crazy or falling in love?  
Is it real or just another crush?

Do you catch a breath when I look at you?  
Are you holding back like the way I do?  
'Cause I'm trying and trying to walk away  
But I know this crush ain't goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy  
This crush ain't goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy  
Goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy  
Goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy  
Goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy

Nagihiko finished the song and slouched back into the sofa. Everyone, for some reason, turned to look at me. Probably cause I hadn't heard the song before and they wanted my response.

"Hey, I never knew you were in love!" I remarked. "Who's the lucky girl?" I teased him. He sulked for awhile but immediately smirked. I realized I'd probably forgotten something.

DANG. I was up for singing next.

Nagihiko cheerfully skipped over to the song selecting machine and scrolled up and down the list. I gulped, thinking of the worst. When the song name appeared on the TV, I gulped.

"WHAT??" I screeched out. Everyone started laughing and I glared at Nagihiko, who shrugged innocently. I took a deep breathe and started the song.

_Miss Independent__ by Kelly Clarkson_

_Miss independent  
Miss self-sufficient  
Miss keep your distance, mmmm_

Miss unafraid  
Miss out of my way  
Miss don't let a man interfere, no

Miss on her own  
Miss almost grown  
Miss never let a man help her off her throne

So, by keeping her heart protected  
She'll never, ever feel rejected  
Little miss apprehensive  
Said ooh, she fell in love

What is this feeling taking over?  
Thinking no one could open the door  
Surprise, it's time, to feel what's real  
What happened to miss independent's no longer need to be defensive?  
Goodbye, old you, when love, is true

Misguided heart  
Miss play it smart  
Miss if you wanna use that line, you better not start, no

But she miscalculated  
She didn't wanna end up jaded  
And this miss decided not to miss out on true love

So, by changing a misconception  
She went in a new direction  
And found inside, she felt a connection  
She fell in love

What is this feeling taking over?  
Thinking no one could open the door  
Surprise, it's time, to feel what's real  
What happened to miss independent's no longer need to be defensive?  
Goodbye, old you, when love, is true (when love, is true)

When miss independent walked away  
No time for love that came her way  
She looked in the mirror and thought today  
What happened to miss no longer afraid?  
It took some time for her to see  
How beautiful love could truly be  
No more talk of why can't that be me  
I'm so glad I've finally seen

What is this feeling taking over?  
Thinking no one could open the door  
Surprise, it's time, to feel what's real  
What happened to miss independent's no longer need to be defensive?  
Goodbye, old you, when love, is true (when love, is true)

Miss Independent

I don't know when, but I rather…fell into the song. It really described me. I mean, aren't I 'independent, self-sufficient,' and whatever else they said? And…when will I fall in love? That's what I want to know. That's when I realized everyone was staring at me after I'd long finished the song. I quickly thought of something to say.

"That. Was. So Embarrassing." Everyone chuckled a bit as I placed the mic down. The others started choosing upbeat songs to sing together, while I sulked in the corner of my misfortune.

"Rima-chan, are you alright? Are you really mad at me? I'm sorry. It was just for fun. Seriously though, I think it describes your life." Nagihiko said teasingly. I sighed, realizing I was making too big of a deal over it.

"No, it's my fault. I'm overreacting. Though singing was fun. And it _did_ describe my life." I said. Nagihiko smiled.

"You have a nice voice. Why'd you say you couldn't sing?" he asked. I slightly winced. Hopefully, he didn't notice.

"Cause I can't." I replied bluntly. I then stood up and went over to the bathroom, curling up into a ball shape leaning on the locked door.

Why? Why couldn't I? Singing, slowly, became more than a solace; it became my comfort, my confider. I sang out my secrets, and Music kept my secrets. I couldn't sing. I just couldn't…it was frankly ridiculous, and I didn't even completely understand.

After a suitable time, I walked out. Amu and them had just finished a song and took a deep breathe.

"I'm exhausted!" Kukai exclaimed. Everyone that sang (which was everyone besides me and Nagihiko, who didn't join for some reason) agreed and collapsed on the ground.

"Hey!" Amu exclaimed, while an evil expression spread across her face. She whispered something to Utau, who whispered to Yaya, who whispered to…you get the point. It travelled around the 'singing group' and eventually, the eight of them turned their heads to look at me.

"RIMA!" the girls exclaimed, rushing over and handing me a mic. "You'll sing a song cause you didn't sing with us!" they said.

"Wh—what?" I asked. By now, the boys had dragged Nagihiko over next to me.

"Um…what are we doing?" Nagihiko asked. He then looked at me and we both blushed. Cause however I looked at it, we were doing a duet.

"You two are gonna sing a duet cause you two didn't sing just now!" Yaya exclaimed. She then sighed.

"But Yaya's nice. So you can choose the song. Now, do you want 4 Minutes or—"

"NO!" we both exclaimed. To some certain extent, that song was a…slutty song? Something like that.

Yaya smirked. "Fine. Then the other song." As the words of the song came up, I groaned. It was something that Amu and them would do. Nagihiko looked at me uncomfortably.

"Um…Rima-chan? If you're not comfortable, we can just tell them we won't do it." He said kindly. I smiled.

"I'm fine. Let's just sing it and get over with it. Or else they'll annoy us tell we do." We chuckled a bit and the song began.

_The Start of Something New by High School Musical Vanessa Hudgens and Drew Seeley/Zac Efron_

_**Nagihiko:**_

_Living in my own world  
Didn't understand  
That anything can happen  
When you take a chance_

_**Rima:**__  
I never believed in  
What I couldn't see  
I never opened my heart (Oh ohh)  
To all the possibilities_

_**Together:**__  
I know  
__that something has changed  
__Never felt this way  
__And right here tonight  
_

_This could be the start  
Of something new  
__It feels so right  
__To be here with you...oh  
And now...looking in your eyes  
I feel in my heart  
__(feel in my heart)  
The start of something new  
__(ohh, yeah)_

_**Nagihiko:  
**__Now who'd of ever thought that_

_**Together:**__  
We'd both be here tonight (ohh, yeah)  
And the world looks so much brighter (brighter, brighter, ohh)  
With you by my side (by my side)_

_  
I know that something has changed  
Never felt this way  
I know it for real_

This could be the start  
Of something new  
It feels so right  
To be here with you  
And now looking in your eyes  
I feel in my heart  
The start of something new

_**Naghiko:**__  
I never knew that it could happen  
Till it happened to me (ohh yeah)_

_**Rima:  
**__I didn't know it before _

_**Together:  
**__But now it's easy to see_

_It's a start  
Of something new  
It feels so right  
To be here with you…ohh  
And now looking in your eyes  
I feel in my heart_

That it's the start  
Of something new  
It feels so right  
To be here with you (ohh, ohh)  
And now looking in your eyes  
I feel in my heart (feel in my heart)  
The start of something new (the start of something new)  
The start of something new

"Wow! You guys were great!" Amu sincerely complimented. I admit I kinda felt like I was falling into the music towards the middle.

"A cute couple too!" Nadeshiko teased. I blushed red and glared at her.

"Yaya is so tired! DRINKS! Yaya wants drinks! Yaya's throat is so dryyyyy!" Yaya exclaimed. Nadeshiko smiled and went over to kitchen to get us some drinks.

And my first karaoke experience at a sleepover thus ended.

* * *

**Hehe. It's rather fun writing from Rima's point-of-view. She's dense on _someone's_ feelings. Anyways, look for the next update around three to four days later. I'm sorry for taking up this chapter with songs, it's a really cliched plot, but I had to get them to do something. DDR? Nah. I don't even own one.**

**Guess what their next sleepover game is? (Sorry, you can't pick, cause I already got the idea of that chapter thought out) Wait and see! Heehee.**

**~~*Hope-chan*~~**


	5. Chapter 5: Semi or SEMIH

**Sorry for the late update, but here's the next chapter! (Blame high school)**

**Alright. This chappie might be a bit weird. First of all, I have never played Seven Minutes in Heaven in real life (yes, I haven't). So...I'm not quite sure how the game goes. From all those chick flicks/girly books I've read, it's something along the lines of someone spins a bottle and whoever it lands on (assuming it's a person of the opposite gender of the spinner) you go into a closet with and (supposedly) make out for seven minutes. And then after seven minutes, they come out whoever it landed on spins and the whole thing goes again. So...something along those lines.**

**As for why in the world I called Seven Minutes in Heaven SEMIH (for SEven Minutes In Heaven), I have no clue. It's just funny how--whatever, just read and you'll find out :P Enjoy!**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! in any way, nor do I own the game Seven Minutes in Heaven (does anyone?))**

* * *

**Chapter 5:** Semi or SEMIH

The singing had left our throats parched dry, so we drank a lot of water in the next minutes. Finally, after the refreshments, everyone was back in shape for another round of games.

"LET'S PLAY SEMI!" Yaya exclaimed. Everyone seemed unsure how to react. Wait…what was Semi?

"What's Semi?" I asked innocently. Everyone turned to face me like I wasn't born in the 21st century (which I wasn't. I was born in the 20th. HA!)

"Semi. You know. Seven Minutes in Heaven." Amu tried explaining. I blinked.

"Huh?" I asked. But it sounded fun. Seven minutes in heaven, after all! It was probably gonna be fun. "Hey, that sounds fun. How do you play?" I asked.

Everyone stared at me.

"Um…Rima? You sure you've never heard of it before?"

"Even Yaya knows of it!"

"Stupid girl." Utau said, at which I glared at her.

"Hey, it isn't my fault I couldn't come to your previous sleepovers because of my overprotective parents." I defended myself. Everyone stayed silent for a long time, till Utau broke it.

"Hmm…how to explain…" Utau said. Everyone nodded in agreement. I felt ticked off that I was out of the loop.

"What is it?" I demanded. Everyone gulped. Heck, even Yaya, the hyperactive sugar high baby and Nadeshiko, the polite, ladylike girl knew what the game was and I didn't! I felt seriously lost. Everyone winced, probably thinking about how to describe it.

"Well…how do you explain it? It's rather awkward." Nagihiko said. Suddenly, everyone's face turned towards him and an evil smirk hung on their faces.

"Why, _Onii-chan_, why don't you show Rima-chan how to play?" Nadeshiko said pleasantly in a weird way. Nagihiko looked wide-eyed and gulped.

"W—what? Why me?" he asked. Nadeshiko glared at him for awhile but Nagihiko didn't budge.

"Yeah, Nagi. Show Mashiro how to play." Kukai insisted. Everyone joined in the chant.

"Girly boy, show shrimp the ties of Semi."

"Fujisaki, just go."

"Nagihiko, you'd be a great teacher!"

"NAGI-KUN!! YAYA FORCES YOU TO GO!"

"Jack, I believe you are the most suitable for this job."

Finally, I couldn't hold it.

"FINE. PURPLEHEAD, JUST TEACH ME!" I yelled out, annoyed of how I was seriously left out. It made me feel so…AGH! Left out!

For some strange reason, everyone burst out into laughter.

"Huh?" I asked. Did I say something wrong?

"N—no, nothing. Rima. It's just…HAHAHA…no, nothing, just, Nagi, go, teach Rima how to play…" Amu said between her laughs. I blinked. It wasn't nice feeling out of the loop.

Nagihiko gulped and turned his attention towards me. Finally, he closed his eyes and sighed, reopening them and looking directly at me.

"Fine. I'll teach Rima-chan. Sheesh." Nagihiko said. Everyone cheered. Was Nagihiko a really good teacher?

"Alright. Semi doesn't really require any materials. All you need is a closet. So, we're gonna use this one." Nagihiko motioned towards a small closet nearby.

"Now, both of us have to get in." Nagihiko said. I looked at him cautiously.

"How do I know you won't rape me?" I asked seriously. Someone snickered in the back while Nagihiko sighed.

"You'll know in due time. Just get in." Nagihiko said. I obliged, and afterwards, Nagihiko followed. It wasn't really small, so we had enough room that he was on one side and I was on the other. Amu shut the door behind us.

"Your 7 minutes start…now!" Someone…I think still Amu exclaimed from the outside, followed by a chorus of laughs. I looked up at Nagihiko's face, or where I predicted it to be, cause it was too dark to see.

"So…um…what do we do now?" I asked. Nagihiko sighed.

"This…is really awkward to say aloud." Nagihiko finally said. We remained in silence for awhile, making the atmosphere much, much more awkward. We then heard Amu's voice.

"4 more minutes! Hurry up!" And more laughter.

"Okay, don't tell me all you do in Semi is spend seven minutes stuck with someone in a closet?" I asked sarcastically. Nagihiko sighed.

"Do you really wanna know how to play?" he asked. I muttered 'en.' I really wanted to know!!

Nagihiko sighed again. And more silence.

"3 more minutes!" Amu exclaimed.

More silence.

I finally kicked him in the shin. Luckily, I got the place right.

"Hey, what was that for?" he asked, wincing in pain. I glared at him, wondering if he could feel it.

"You're not telling me how to play." I said simply.

"2 more minutes!" Amu exclaimed. I was growing irritated.

"I don't believe this is the game. Sheesh cross-dresser, whatever." I turned to push open the closet door when Nagihiko suddenly grabbed me by my shoulders and turned me back so I was pinned on the wall.

"Na—Nagihiko?" I asked, fearing what he was doing. Course he wouldn't rape me, but he was really scary. Even in the dark, I could feel that he was really serious.

"Do you really wanna know how to play?" he asked. I gulped and mumbled 'en' again. Nagihiko gave a final sigh. He took my wrists and pinned them on the sides of my head.

"Then don't blame me for what happens." I was going to ask him what he was talking about when I felt something warm on my lips.

HECK. NAGIHIKO WAS KISSING ME.

I didn't know how to react. I mean, sure, I've been kissed before, but by _Nagihiko_? It started out gently, his warm lips intact with mine, while eventually, he pressed harder and harder, making the atmosphere more and more heated. I still didn't know how to react, just frozen with shock.

I then felt something soft twirling on my top and bottom lips. It felt ticklish, so I opened my mouth, but then Nagihiko_ stuck his tongue into my mouth_. It explored my mouth completely, and that was around when I started to respond. I kissed him back, and he let go of my hands and moved to snaking around my wrist, while I put my hands around his neck. Our tongues started to fight for dominance. He won though, and I went his way. He pushed me so hard onto the wall that I'd fallen down and we were making out on the floor by now. I felt my hands moving by themselves—

"Time's up!" Amu exclaimed from outside. I heard footsteps approaching, so I quickly pushed Nagihiko off me and calmed down. Nagihiko seemed slightly alarmed at my sudden reaction but understood. Amu then opened the door.

"Hey R—HEY!! EVERYONE!! LOOK! NAGI ACTUALLY DID IT!!" Amu exclaimed excitedly, who ran off to call everyone. I gaped. How did she know?

"Really? Yaya wants to see!" Yaya exclaimed. She then saw me. "OHH!! NAGI-KUN ACTUALLY DID IT??"

"Hey, girly boy, good job."

"I knew you'd be a good teacher."

"Onii-chan! I'm proud of you!"

"HEY!" I exclaimed, getting everyone's attention. "Why didn't anyone tell me about this game??" I demanded. They all looked at me weirdly.

"Didn't Nagi just tell you about it?" Amu asked slyly and I blushed scarlet red at the memory.

"H—how did you know." I asked in a quiet whisper. Amu smirked.

"Your position. Nagi's position. On the ground? Please. You must've pushed him off when I called time was up." How did she know?

"Yaya noticed cause Rima-chii's hair was messed up." Dang, that was right.

"Your tie is obviously bended and folded in a weird way."

"Also, if you look closely, both of your lips are swollen."

"And Nagi's clothes' first button is off."

"WHAT?" I screeched. I turned to look at Nagihiko who was half-kneeling on the ground. He was wearing our school's uniform, minus the black jacket. Sure enough the first button half-hidden under his tie. I blushed furiously at that. When did that happen?

"H—how the heck did that happen?" I stuttered out. Nagihiko's lips tugged into a smirk.

"Why, _Rima-chan_, you know perfectly well how that happened." Nagihiko said with a smug look. I blushed a lot more and kicked him in the shin once more.

"Ow!" he yelped. I glared at him and he gulped, re-buttoning that button up.

"Whatever Nagi. We're proud of you!" Amu said cheerfully. Though I stood up and continued to glare at them.

"Gosh, whatever. What a lame game. Anyways, I'd never do this with cross-dresser" I said. Though suddenly, I realized where the game was fun and smirked.

"And isn't it the others' turns?" I asked slyly. They gulped.

"ALRIGHT! All couples, please line up here and one by one, or rather two by two, enter your one and only Seven Minutes in Heaven closet!" Everyone else, including me (yes, I was currently single), Nagihiko (and him), Nadeshiko (cause Ryuu wasn't here), and Tadase (who was single, apparently), ushered them so eventually, Ikuto and Amu, Kukai and Utau, and Yaya and Kairi had their turns in the closet.

"HAHA! That was actually pretty fun!" I exclaimed after Ikuto carried out a furiously blushing Amu bridal style and placed her down after much protests. Amu glared but it turned into a smug look.

"So…you enjoyed your time with Nagi?" she asked teasingly. I glared at her.

"No." I said as coldly as I could.

"Awh Rima, don't be so mean. You know you responded at the end." Nagihiko teased on the side of me. I glared at him too.

"Well, that was only because I didn't know what to do in the situation. What was I supposed to do, just let you mouth-rape me? Sheesh." Eventually, the conversation quieted down. They decided against playing TOD, since we already played SEMIH, (yeah, it's spelled that way. I learned from Amu. But they pronounced it as 'semi') and decided to watch a movie and hit the sacks, since it was already 1:30 and we needed to go shopping the next day. We first washed up, cause Amu said we'd probably fall asleep in the middle of the movie. I went downstairs still in my normal clothes. Amu said it would be fine to sleep in those. So much for my PJs.

Into the DVD player went four DVDs (yes, they had the fancy DVD players too). First off, we watched a comedy. Utau fell asleep, and Kukai brought her back to her room. Then went in a chick flick, at which Kairi fell asleep and Yaya managed to wake him up long enough for them to go to their rooms to sleep. I also felt the fatigue getting to me. The next was a cheesy romance one, and I seriously felt the fatigue getting the better of me, but stayed awake. The last was a horror one…

"What?" Amu hissed as to not wake up anyone. "I'm…I'm not watching this!" I was too tired to point out it was because she was scared, and she scampered to her room, with Ikuto following her. I was scared a bit, but nevertheless decided to watch it with Nagihiko and Nadeshiko.

"AHH!" I yelled out. There was a creepy scene! The dude was shot in the stomach and blood and his guts were pouring out. Instinctively, I grabbed onto whoever was closest to me, who happened to be Nagihiko. I hugged his right arm tightly. He slightly tensed up at the sudden contact, but soon turned me over and patted my head, attempting to soothe me down.

"Shh…it's alright Rima. It's just a movie. They made it all up" But I was seriously scared. There was another scene of his head being cut open and his skull and brain and…UGH. I closed my eyes and laid my head on Nagihiko's shoulder, squeezing his arm tightly. I felt my whole body sweating already. It was so scary, that Nagihiko's words of comfort didn't prove of much use.

Before I knew it, I fell asleep before the movie ended.

----~~----

I woke up and didn't recognize my surroundings. I was wearing some silky garment, while under some blue covers, with something warm that I was holding onto, and something warm around my waist. I turned around to see what it was and was about to shout out when he cupped his hand on my face.

"Shh. It's still morning. Don't wake everyone up." Nagihiko said, muttering something else below his breathe. I was hyperventilating and hurriedly scrambled out of the bed. I panicked and shot questions at him.

"What? Where are we? Why am I here? When did I get here? Why are _you_ here? Why—" I just realized what I was wearing. "Why in the world am I wearing such a slutty dress?" I demanded. My 'silky garment' I was wearing turned out to be a silk dress. It was thin black strapped, and the chest area was laced black strings, making my bra TOTALLY visible. As for the remainder of the dress, it was an opaque color of red down to the middle of my thighs.

"Yeah. I suggest you get some clothing on." Nagihiko said groggily, standing up and grabbing a suitable sweatshirt from his closet. I quickly put it on. It was really baggy but who cared?

I turned my attention back to Nagihiko and glared. "Why am I here? What happened last night? Did—did we do anything?" I stumbled out the last sentence. Nagihiko managed a laugh.

"Awh, is Rima-chan thinking dirty thoughts?" Nagihiko asked. I glared more harshly and he seemed to enter a flashback mode, at which I watched him thinking of how to give me a proper explanation of what in the world happened last night.

* * *

**Woohoo! Another chappie done! Hope you liked it. Personally, I'm not experienced with kissing scenes (cause I've never kissed before. -_- Yes, I know. This authoress is so lame, writing about kissing scenes when she hasn't even kissed. WHATEVER!). So if it was in any way awkward, please forgive. I'm sorry.**

**Heehee. It was hilarious writing about how Rima felt so out of the loops and really wanted to play 'semi.' It was sooo fun to write! Whee~**

**Next chappie coming up this weekend! AGH. I have a Spanish quiz tomorrow! Wish me luck!**

**~~*Hope-chan*~~**


	6. Chapter 6: What Happened Last Night

**Eh...is it just me or does this title sound kinda...dirty? -_- It's alright, all younger readers, this is definitely rated T. Don't mind the title. I couldn't think of a non-dirty title and I'm too lazy so...sigh**

**I'm starting to get Writer's Block. *audience gasps* Yes, I'm very sorry. This chapter was alright to write, but the ending is rather...forceful, in my opinion. I terribly apologize if you don't like it. I'll try getting those writing inspirations churning again and think of how to continue writing. Don't worry, I won't discontinue this one. I rather like it. I'm at LEAST writing till the Christmas Ball.**

* * *

**Chapter 6****: **What Happened Last Night

—_Flashback—_

_(Nagihiko's POV)_

_Rima held onto my hand tightly. I never knew that she was afraid of horror movies, just like Amu! I looked at the movie, bored, to be truthful. I'd watched the movie before, so I didn't find it revolting or scary the least._

"_Mmm…Onii-chan, good night…" Nadeshiko said groggily, standing up and stumbling to her room. I smiled and said, "Good night." back to her, turning my attention back to the movie._

_It soon drew to an end. I was about to stand up to go turn off the DVD player and TV so I could go sleep when I realized that Rima was still holding on to my arm._

"_Um…Rima-chan?" I asked hesitantly. She didn't respond. I slightly moved my hand, trying to get out of her grasp, but all she did was slightly stir in her sleep and grasp onto me tighter._

_Dang, what was I supposed to do?_

"_Nagihiko? You still haven't slept?" My Chara, Temari, floated over in her pink kimono. I smiled weakly._

"_The movie just ended and I can't get anywhere cause Rima's still hugging onto my arm." Nagihiko said. Temari giggled._

"_Rima-chan looks so cute when she sleeps!" Temari said, floating over and brushing some of Rima's gold locks off her face. I blushed at her angelic feature._

"_Temari? Any ideas?" I asked my Chara, hoping she could think of something. Temari frowned. She helped float over to turn off the DVD player and TV, though she didn't seem to think up of any idea for Rima._

"_Well…you could give her something else to hold onto." Temari suggested. I nodded, agreeing, and Temari carried over a teddy bear for me. I slipped it in between Rima and I, so she hugged on the teddy bear and I carefully slipped my arm out._

"_Thanks Temari." Temari smiled good-naturedly. I then frowned. I had to carry her up to her room. At least no one would see…besides Temari…_

"_Nagihiko! Bring her up to her room!" Temari said. I sighed and scooped her up in my arms, though carefully putting her back down._

"_What's wrong, Nagihiko?" Temari asked caringly. I looked at her._

"_Rima-chan's sweated a lot. I never knew she was so scared of the movie. Will she catch a cold or something?" I asked. Temari frowned._

"_Nagihiko, you need to get her into her PJs then." Temari said. I gaped at her._

"_Are you kidding? She's gonna blame me for stripping her tomorrow!" I blurted out, trying to keep my voice down so Rima wouldn't wake up. Temari smiled._

"_But do you want her to catch a cold?" Temari asked._ _I grumbled a bit and obliged. Temari helped me to go upstairs and get Rima's bag. I flipped through her bag and found a silky garment that was rather…revealing for Rima's tastes._

"_Um…are you sure this is Rima's?" I questioned. Temari frowned._

"_I took the only bag that was next to the empty futon." Temari claimed. It was my turn to frown._

"_Fine." I said. I carefully undid her tie and placed it on the side. Then, I closed my eyes and took off her white collared shirt and skirt, hurriedly putting on her dress. I opened my eyes but was still slightly disturbed by the sight. Her…_bra_ was completely visible through the garment._

"_Finally." I said, averting my gaze from her. Temari giggled and I sighed. Suddenly, I felt something on my arms…again._

_Rima had abandoned the bear and clutched onto my arm again. Great. I grabbed the teddy bear and tried to slip out, but she didn't give the same response. She remained latched to me, and I felt guilty for waking her up from her sleep._

"_Temari?" I asked her. Temari put her kimono sleeve in front of her mouth, muffling a giggle._

"_You'll have to sleep with her then." Temari said. I could not gape anymore._

"_Temari! You know that Rima's gonna kill me tomorrow if that happens!" I hissed. Temari smiled._

"_Then what do you wanna do? How about this: I'll wake you up early tomorrow, alright?" Temari said. I nodded, agreeing with the idea. I managed to carry her while she remained latched to my arm and I went to sleep in my own room. I pulled the covers over us, but Rima still trembled. I sighed and hugged Rima, with my hands wrapped around her wrist. She stirred a bit but stopped trembling and a small smile flitted on her face. Mentally, I prayed Temari would wake me up early._

—_End of Flashback—_

(Rima's POV)

"Well, basically, you fell asleep latched on my arm and you wouldn't let go so I carried you here and we slept…together." He whispered the last word, yet I could here it _very_ clearly.

"WHAT?" I screeched. He shot me a don't-wake-up-the-others look and I glared but slightly nodded.

"Fine. Then why am I in…in such a slutty dress?" I demanded. Nagihiko looked at me and gulped.

"Um…you sweated a lot during the movie, and I was afraid that you'd catch a cold so I switched your clothes…" he winced, ready for the outburst. That came.

"WHAT?" I exclaimed, not caring about waking others up. Another keep-quiet look was shot my way and I sighed tiredly.

"Fine. I'll let that go too. Why this though? Couldn't you have chosen something more…covering?" I asked. Nagihiko looked at me weirdly.

"Huh? Wasn't that your PJs?" Nagihiko asked. This time, I looked at him weirdly.

"Do you think I have such a revealing PJ in winter?" I asked. I trembled a bit, slightly missing Nagihiko's warmth in the—

WAIT. WHAT AM I THINKING? THAT STUPID CROSS-DRESSER COULD'VE RAPED ME FOR ALL I KNEW.

"Sorry about that. Temari said she found it next to the empty futon." Nagihiko said. He went over to his closet and flipped around for something to wear.

"D—did we do anything?" I asked in a whisper. He continued flipping through his closet.

"Hmm? Did you say something, Rima-chan?" he asked. I blushed furiously and spoke up. Yes, I spoke up.

"I said, did we DO ANYTHING LAST NIGHT?" I asked, a full blush spread across my face. Nagihiko dropped the t-shirt he was holding and turned around. Suddenly, he burst out laughing.

"W—what's so funny?" I demanded. Nagihiko chuckled a bit more and stopped, walking over and ruffling up my hair kind of like what Kukai used to do.

"Silly Rima-chan. Do you really think I'd take advantage of you?" Nagihiko said. I looked in his eyes, and they spoke of honesty, sincerity, and devoid of deceit and lies. I sighed, unsure how to respond. I mean, the way he said the whole thing made it seem like it was my fault he had to sleep with me, not his fault I had to spend the night with him. _I _was the one who wouldn't let go of him (cause I was totally freaked out by the movie, no other reason), and _I _was the one who sweated so much so he, being the _caring_ one (sarcasm, please), switched my clothes. I mumbled some incoherent words under my breath and sighed.

"Fine." I said, turning around to walk out of his room and back into my room. "No one will know of this, alright?" I said harshly. He chuckled and complied with my demands. I don't know why, but I trusted him. He wasn't the lying type or gossiping type, after all.

I opened the room's door and took one step out of the room. I had to say that thing, I had to!

"Thanks." I finally said. I then hurriedly walked out, took off the sweatshirt, threw it in the room and closed the door behind me. That was so close. SO close. I can't believe I just thanked cross-dresser! I walked around the house, maneuvering through the halls, and luckily got back to the room before anyone woke up. I took the empty futon and pretended to go to sleep, though my brain was racing with thoughts.

That was just so embarrassing. I mean, Nagihiko switched my clothes? AND HE FRICKIN SLEPT WITH ME. Eew, that sounded wrong. But it was really warm under the covers…and I liked it how he was hug—WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I THINKING? I hate Nagihiko. Yes, I hate cross-dressing Fujisaki Nagihiko.

But why did the sentence seem kind of…weird? Ah well. Some time amidst my thoughts, I fell into a slumber.

* * *

"RIMA-CHII!" Yaya exclaimed, waking me up from my sleep. I opened my eyes and got used to the light, looking from Yaya, to Amu, to Utau, whose heads were floating above me.

"Hmm?" I asked, closing my eyes for some more sleep. I was just about to relax when suddenly, Utau woke me up. She pulled my covers off.

"Mashiro Rima. Explain why you're in my futon and wearing my PJs." Utau said seriously. I moaned, my source of warmth gone, but glared at her.

"Sheesh. That's because—" I then remembered the truth, and definitely could NOT tell them. I quickly searched for a lie.

"Last night I was too sleepy so I just stumbled into the room and grabbed the closest bag and wore the PJs and fell asleep without realizing it." I lied. Everyone looked at me, but Utau seemed to shrug it off.

"Whatever. I think Kukai carried me onto your futon, so it's alright. But could you take it off now?" she asked. I nodded and blushed, since it was really…revealing. Us four girls switched our clothes. I got on a pale pink sweatshirt, a fuzzy peach colored scarf, a pink skirt, thick black leggings, and a pair of long socks, putting my hair into a small side ponytail with a pink puffball hair band. Yaya, Utau, and Amu got their clothes on, too, and they (including Amu, after much convincing) put on some make up, at which I refused. I did not do make up.

We finally got out of the room and found the boys at the kitchen table already munching on their food. The usual 'you're so slow' and 'no we're not' ensued, along with a few blushes, a few giggles, a few glares, a few laughs, a few sighs, a few sweat-dropping, and one kick in the shin (by yours truly. To whom, guess?)

"Alright. Is everyone ready?" Tadase asked no one in particular. The Charas were staying home, unwilling to leave the house into the cold winter day. We all nodded and went to get our coats, as I put on my pink fuzzy coat. Slipping on my boots covering my ankles, the 10 of us set out of Nagihiko's warm house and out into the cold winter day. Luckily it wasn't snowing today.

"Alright. We'll be taking cabs. I've already told 3 to come over. They'll be here in about 5 minutes. Since there's ten people, there will be three people in each cab with one cab with four. Does anyone mind me picking the groups?" Tadase asked. Amu raised her hand. "No, but don't put me with Ikuto!" she exclaimed. Ikuto snickered and grabbed Amu's waist from behind her, placing his head next to her ear. "Awh _Amu_, thinking of dirty thoughts? There isn't much we can do in a car, especially with someone else in there, but if we use the bed instead—" Here, Amu knocked him firmly in his abdomen with her elbow as she blushed a deep scarlet, and Ikuto winced in pain. "Ow…" Everyone else sweat-dropped at the familiar scene: Ikuto harassing, Amu blushing, and eventually Ikuto in pain.

"Um…so no one minds besides Amu-chan?" Tadase asked hesitantly. We all nodded. "Alright then. I'll try to put you with your partners so it's more convenient." In the end, Cab 1 was Amu, Nadeshiko, and Utau, Cab 2 was Kairi, Yaya, and Ikuto, and the last cab was me, Nagihiko, Kukai, and Tadase. Soon enough, three yellow cabs drove down the driveway and stopped in front of the household's door. We each got into our cabs and successfully arrived at the mall. We met up at the large Christmas tree placed smack middle in front of the mall's entrance.

"Alright." Tadase said, rubbing his arms with his hands to try to get some warmth. "You'll have till 12:00 to buy your supplies. Then, we'll meet up at 12:30 at the lobby in the mall to have lunch. Afterwards, you can continue to shop or just hang around if you're done, but stay with your partner the whole time. Recently, there's been a purse-snatcher on the news, so be careful." Tadase warned. We all nodded, starting to drift off into groups with our partners.

"Well, Rima-chan?" Nagihiko asked, facing my direction as he walked over. "Should we go buy the supplies?" I nodded, figuring that was the whole purpose of this trip anyways.

The mall was really big. We leisurely took our time, going from store to store, stocking up on bags and bags of green and red streamers, Christmas ornaments, balloons that WEREN'T of a Santa Clause shape, etc. etc. Finally, I handed Nagihiko another bag, slipping my wallet back into my purse.

"Rima-chan…are you done?" Nagihiko asked in a weak voice. I had to control myself to not burst out laughing at the sight of Nagihiko attempting to carry 10 big fat bags at once. I mean, he's a basketball player so he's fit and healthy and all that, but his conditioning training can't _possibly_ compare to a girl's shopping spree, even if it's not clothes.

"Just wait when we're shopping for clothes. Oh, you'll learn the terrors." I said, mentally inserting in a scene of me laughing evilly. Nagihiko's face immediately paled up.

"No need. I've heard of the worst from Kukai." Finally, I couldn't control myself and laughed. Utau was the shopaholic and fashionista, most concerned of staying 'in' compared to us. It was rather easy to imagine Kukai getting tortured by her.

Nagihiko gave me a smile. "So…where are we going now?" he asked as I looked idly at a big map on the mall's wall. Slightly adjusting my purse's strap on my shoulder, I gazed at the enormous picture, when someone suddenly crashed into me from the side.

"Hey, what was that fo—HEY! HELP! THIEF!" I exclaimed, realizing he had taken off with my purse. But by the time I'd realized, he was already running off. We were at the back building, so even though people heard, there weren't many, so they couldn't do much to help. I turned to look at Nagihiko, who was trying to run while carrying all the bags. I sighed helplessly. "Go give the bags to that guard there." I told him. He turned towards where I was pointing and obliged, handing him the bags and explaining the situation. He nodded as Nagihiko quickly rushed back without the heavy bags. "Let's go." I said, as we dashed off after the thief. I had stocked up just for today!

Turning around corners and turns all behind a STAFF ONLY door, we always managed to see the thief right before he dashed around a corner. Finally, we entered a large door, leading to a warehouse, full of boxes on each sides. The thief was standing in front of us, enshrouded in the darkness.

"You're trapped. Give us the purse back." Nagihiko said calmly, slowly taking a step approaching the thief, whose face was enshrouded in the darkness. The thief hesitantly took a step back, until his back was to the wall. Nagihiko took another step, as the thief further pushed himself onto the wall. At a close enough distance, Nagihiko dashed forward a couple of steps and lunged at the thief, knocking him to the ground.

"Stop where you are!" a voice exclaimed from behind us as the lights of the warehouse flickered on. I turned around, seeing three guards holding up flashlights, pointing them at Nagihiko and the thief who were on the ground that were fighting, though pausing to look at the invasion. "It's that kid!" the guard Nagihiko had talked to earlier back exclaimed excitedly, pointing at Nagihiko. "He's the one who told me about the situation! The other one is the purse-stealer!" he exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the man on the floor. Dejectedly, the purse-stealer sighed and came out of the shadows. He was a young man of his twenties, with short neat black hair and a pair of dark brown eyes. He sighed, spat on the ground, and struggled to release himself from Nagihiko's firm grasp. The guards walked over and handcuffed the thief, as he muttered some incoherent curses. Though, rather loudly, he said, "Curse that long haired boy and his dumb blonde girlfriend."

"HEY!" I exclaimed in defense. I wasn't a dumb blonde! Nor was I Na—Nagihiko's girlfriend! Why did I mentally stutter that? Ah well, probably cause I'm SO ANGRY at that stupid thief. I quickly checked my purse if anything was missing. Opening my wallet, a piece of paper definitely not belonging to me floated to the ground.

_Careful of what you see, what you do, and what you learn. Certainly Death can't be on that list?_

* * *

**T-T I don't really like this chapter, to be honest. Besides the flashback. Whee~~ I'm not sure if you can sweat so much that you can catch a cold though...maybe not, but I couldn't think of anything else so...*shrugs shoulders innocently***

**By the way, the flashback was only Nagihiko remembering. It doesn't mean Nagihiko told Rima. Understand? Hopefully you do. :)**

**Alright! I'm gonna go do some other freewriting to get those creative juices churning. By the way, if you've read my story Whispers of the Wind, I'm sorry but I'm not continuing it. I feel like the reviews weren't really clear on if you wanted it to continue or not. So I'll just leave it as a one-shot. You can read it if you want. Angsty in a way. Hope you'll like it if you read it! Thanks for supporters of that one-shot though!**

**~~*Hope-chan*~~**

**(PS: Do you guys want my Author's Notes in the beginning and end of each of my chapters to be conversing with the characters? I noticed a lot of people do that. Something like this:**

**Hope-chan: Hey everyone! It's me, Hope-chan~~**

**Rima: Yeah, we already knew that. **

**Nagihiko: Rima-chan, don't be so mean.**

**Rima: *glares***

**Nagihiko: *seems slightly scared***

**Hope-chan: *sweatdrops***

**Something like that? If you want to, I'll do that. It _is_ funny in a way. So, tell me if you want. Though that's rather off-topic. :) )**


	7. Chapter 7: The New Girl in Town

**So...sorry for the late update. Had an English project...*sigh* Anyways, enjoy this chapter! Finally partially broke through my writer's block! Though still figuring out the plot after this. I got the ending thought out...but...whatever. Enjoy!**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! in any way)**

* * *

**Chapter 7:**** The New Girl in Town**

The whole entire "purse-snatcher" thing was quickly settled down. The group of us went to have lunch and continued shopping in the afternoon. The awkward silence added with the warmth of the heaters created a strange atmosphere for both me and Nagihiko in the afternoon. Quickly, we finished up the purchases, hurrying back to Nagihiko's home to sort out the goods.

"Alright! Tadase-kun, me and Nadeshiko will be heading towards the kitchen, alright?" Amu asked, lugging in bags of various foods and ingredients. Tadase nodded, sorting out the items that he and Kukai had purchased, that somehow took up the whole entire living room floor, probably because guys just saw and bought. Along with Yaya frolicking around in the Entertainment purchases with Kairi chasing after him, there was absolutely no room the sort out our decoration supplies left. Nagihiko pretty soon realized the problem.

"Wanna go to my room?" he asked. I pondered over the question, but soon agreed after hearing another squeal from Yaya, probably discovering a new product, and Kairi's unintentional scolding, and Yaya's burst of tears, and—

You get the point. Cause-and-effect.

Taking careful steps in front of me as he helped lug most of our supplies, we traversed around the halls, finally reaching a door that didn't seem particularly different from the others. Nagihiko gently placed the bags he was holding down and slid open the Japanese door, revealing a traditional Japanese yet teenage-like boy's bedroom, in my opinion. The walls were plastered a sky blue, with a navy blue bed and sheets tucked tightly in bed at the left corner. Towards the right was a wooden desk, with a lamp and neatly stacked papers on the side. If you keep on going, there's a window on the wall and a huge painting of Japanese art, with a dancer dancing with her…or his fan.

"Is that a male or female?" I asked, pointing at the portrait after I'd placed down all the bags in Nagihiko's room. He was sorting them so they lined up properly, but turned around as his gaze followed my finger towards the wall. My back was to him, so naturally, whatever facial expression he expressed was not shown.

"That's…just a painting." Nagihiko managed out. I turned around, slightly alarmed by his rather hesitant voice that only came when he was 1. hiding something, and thus lying, or 2. he was thinking about something else and suddenly asked about the topic. I was hoping for the second yet betting on the first. But whatever the case, I decided to not prod on the subject further. I approached our piles of white plastic bags randomly dispersed on the ground.

"So…now?" I asked, wondering what we were to do. Nagihiko, who seemed to be daydreaming awhile ago, snapped back into reality and turned towards the bags.

"O—oh, yes, the bags. Let's sort them into the ones we—well _I_ need to bring on Monday to put up early and the ones we'll be bringing awhile before." Nagihiko said, emphasizing "I" ever so clearly. I glared at him.

"Are you implying something of the sort of allowing some fragile, poor, weak, female girl to do the lugging work?" I asked in a sarcastic caring tone. Nagihiko sweat-dropped, looking so pathetic I actually let out a small laugh.

"Just think of it as training for your to-be girlfriend." I said, with a strange emptiness filling my heart. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but at the mention, there was this tug on my heart, and it felt like I was fed tons of lead that my heart had to carry. I took in deep breathes to assuage the mental pain.

"Let's start." Nagihiko said, as he started to move around the bags, checking what was in each of them. I scooted over, also starting to push around the bags, yet with more difficulty than Nagihiko. Curse him and his good body—WHOA. That totally did _not_ sound right. Curse him and his health. Hah.

"Rima-chan?" he asked in his impossible-to-exist sweet voice. I looked up from my last bag that needed pushing to see Nagihiko slightly wiping his forehead with his sleeve. Little sweat droplets were accumulating on his forehead, and I realized the Fujisaki household's central heating system was rather…good.

"Alright. Let's go check out what the others are doing at the living room." Nagihiko said, as he walked over to the door, sliding it open. I followed him outside, careful as to not getting lost. Seriously. That was how big his house was.

"Hey Nagi. Where were you?" Kukai asked as we walked into the living room. His innocent look immediately curled up into a smirk. "Doing something naughty with Mashiro, eh? And I thought you had enough last night…" Kukai trailed off in a toot-toot voice like an old grandma. I blushed hard at the comment, not caring to look up at Nagihiko, thus unable to see his expression.

"W—what are you talking about? We were only sorting out the bags of our room." Nagihiko stuttered out. There was no need to raise my head, but I knew that Nagihiko was also flustered by the comment.

"What's up with the sweat and messed up hair, hmm?" Kukai asked playfully, as Nagihiko sighed.

"Oh. That. That's just cause my room's heating system was better and I got warm so I wiped my sweat with my sleeve." I looked up and saw Kukai staring down Nagihiko, as if trying to read him through, but Kukai finally gave up and shrugged. "Whatever you say, Nagi." Unintentionally, I heaved a deep sigh that no one really heard.

"Ah, Nagihiko-san, Mashiro-san, perfect timing. It's about time for us to disperse, yet I have a few points I'd like to over before that." Tadase said, already sitting on a couch with Ikuto, Utau, Kairi, Yaya, Amu, and Nadeshiko. Kukai was just behind us.

"Yes, Hotori-kun?" Nagihiko asked. Tadase flipped through a pile of papers, grabbing out one of them and swiftly skimming over it. Finally, his eyes locked onto one particular part of the paper.

"Just to review, the Christmas Ball times will be from 9:00 to 2:00. Food Committee, you're doing fine. Dance Committee, slightly coordinate the songs and stage plans. Decoration Committee...the basketball courts have already been removed and will remain untouched for the whole week till Friday. You may decorate anytime afterschool." Tadase's eyes then skimmed through the papers once more. "Yup, that's it. If you must leave, you may go now." Tadase said. I checked the clock. 4:53. I told Mama that we'd be done at 5:00, but knowing Mama…

"Nagihiko-sama, there is a lady asking for the presence of a Mashiro Rima at the door." A maid said respectfully. I scampered and got my purse, nodding.

"That would be me. Arigatou." I said to the maid. She smiled at me, leading me to the door with everyone else following behind me. A car honked, and I realized it was Mama.

"Okay. See you, everyone, on Monday." I said. Everyone said bye to me as I got on the car. Mama was on the phone, slightly annoyed.

"This Guardian activities…still exist? Same as grade school?" she asked, as if challenging me. I gulped. "Yes Mama." I said as politely as possible. She heaved a big sigh, as she started up the car and the engine roared into life.

After a short ten-minute drive, we were home.

Mama unlocked the door, revealing a rather organized room, rather too organized. I knew immediately that they must have another fight. They think cleaning it all up will hide the truth, yet that only showed the truth even more. I mentally sighed, as Mama immediately walked to her office room and shut the door loudly behind her.

Watching the serene scene, I gave a deep sigh. Perhaps…things would never change. Looking outside, the first snowflake fell from the sky. A smile couldn't help flitting across my face.

Yet again, maybe things would.

* * *

"Alright class! Settle down!" the teacher exclaimed at class on Monday morning. She was a young lady in her late twenties, just married a year ago, with beautiful raven black hair and a pair of striking green eyes, rather standing out compared to her hair. She smiled gently at the class. "Today, we will have a new student." Immediately, chatter spread around the room.

"Is it a girl? Or boy?"

"If she's a girl, I hope she's cute, but she'll probably never compare with our RIMA-SAMA!!!"

"If she's a girl, she will NEVER get our Nagihiko-sama!"

"What do you think, Rima?"

Guess who said what?

"I frankly don't care." I said bluntly, yet turning towards the opening door with interest. In walked a cheerful girl, smiling, bubbly, like those Mary-Sues from shoujo mangas that snatch away all the attention.

"Ohayo, minna. Watashi wa Sasaki Chika desu, yoroshiku gozaimasu." The new girl said in a cheerful yet reserved tone. Her eyes surveyed around the room, when suddenly landing on one particular person. I turned towards the targeted one.

"Chika-chan?" Nagihiko's amazed voice came from his seat, as all of the eyes in this room targeted onto the two. Chika smiled a slightly warm smile.

"Nagi. Didn't know you were here." Chika said in a gentle, yet harsh tone that I couldn't identify. Somehow, Nagihiko did.

"Something wrong?" he asked caringly. An abyss formed in my stomach and I felt nauseous. Chika smiled and closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"Nothing. Everything. Something." She said, rather cryptically. After an awkward silence, the teacher finally broke it by clapping her hands together.

"Alright! So, Sasaki-san, where would you like to sit?" the teacher asked. She surveyed the room. I fully expected her to sit down next to Nagihiko, yet she pointed to the seat on the complete opposite side of the room of him: on the left of me, at the left-back hand corner. The teacher slightly sweat-dropped and allowed Chika to go over, as she purposely went around Nagihiko's desk. Nagihiko turned around, staring at her retreating figure, probably pondering over why she was so different from what she used to be like.

Great, I was starting to read Purplehead's mind.

* * *

"Hey Nagi! Who was that?" Amu asked afterschool at the Guardian's meeting. She, Nagihiko, and I were in the Royal Garden already, as Nagihiko made the tea. He gave a big sigh.

"Sasaki Chika. She was a good friend back in Osaka, before I came over as Nadeshiko." He slightly winced at the cross-dressing times. Great, I was seriously reading his mind! "But…she's rather changed. She was cheerful, bright, bubbly, sporty, even a tad tomboy-ish back then. Now she's so…"

"So what Nagi?" a voice came from behind. We turned to see Chika standing, with her hand jutted on her hip, and a Chara floating above her shoulder. Our Charas immediately floated over to greet the newcomer.

"Hey, what's your name?" Rhythm asked. The Chara had periwinkle hair down to her knees, with a pair of dazzling red eyes, a tad magenta, and a tanned skin tone, along with elf-ish ears. On her head rested a jester's hat, with two sides instead of KusuKusu's one, with a blue ball on the end of each instead of KusuKusu's green one. She wore a black dress with blue borderlines and long sleeves and a black and blue choker of the same design and material. On her legs were high high-heel boots up to her knees. She looked rather funky, with a funny hat and a serious clothing set.

"Ohayo, minna!" The Chara greeted us with slightly more emotion than her owner had this morning. Rhythm proceeded giving her a hug, and everyone else introduced themselves to her, as Chika walked towards Nagihiko. She gave a deep heave, as if about to explain something, and looked directly in Nagihiko's eyes.

"I don't know you. You don't know me. We two are complete strangers that have nothing in common whatsoever. That will be our relationship here." Chika gulped, pausing as she clenched her fists. "An—and don't hate me." She said. "Shizue, let's go." Chika said as she turned around and ran out of the garden, with her Chara floating behind her. Nagihiko made the notion to chase after her but stopped himself, clenching his own fists. Finally, his determination set firm, he chased after her. "Wait, Chika-chan!" he exclaimed, running out of the Royal Garden, leaving Amu and I by ourselves looking rather dumb, standing for no reason. I blinked. Why? Another piercing pain.

"Well, that leaves just us." Amu commented. Which was rather useless. "Wonder what's up between them two."

Another piercing pain, more targeted at my heart.

"Rima? You okay?" Amu asked, as I snapped back into reality, turning towards my pink-haired friend. I plastered on a fake petite smile. "Sure, I'm fine." I said, trying to shrug off the sudden mental torture. A cool breeze blew past.

"Amu-chan! And Mashiro-san." Before turning around, I immediately predicted it was Tadase. He was the only one that addressed me like that. Yet I still took a seat, slightly flattening my hair, a bad habit of mine when I felt like the scene was rather awkward or I really needed to flatten it.

"So…where's Nagihiko-kun?" Tadase asked. I shrugged. "Had some personal business to take care of." I said. That wasn't a complete lie…yet they said not telling the truth is the same as lying.

Hopefully, white lies existed.

"Sorry. I think I dropped my important keychain somewhere on school grounds. I'll go look for it." I perked up. Tadase looked up from his shuffling of papers.

"Oh? Do you want us to go help you look for it?" he questioned. I stood up and turned around. "No, I'm fine. I have a vague idea of where it is. No need to trouble you guys."

"But Mashiro-san, we really—"

"I'm fine, _Prince_." How I loved that word. And the word –_poing_—.

"I AM NOT A PRINCE, BUT A KING! OHOHOHOHO! LOWLY COMMONER, BE HONORED A KING IS HELPING YOU! BUT SINCE YOU'VE REJECTED, NEVER MIND!" Tadase, or Chara-changed Tadase exclaimed. After he calmed down, Amu took her time comforting him (he's still all emo after every Chara change) and I took the opportunity to slip out of the garden.

Now…where was that darn old Nagihiko? Though also…

WHERE'S KUSUKUSU WHEN I NEED HER TO SENSE OTHER CHARA PRESENCES??

Curse Kiseki and his pointless Embryo meetings.

* * *

**Ugh...it's 11:00. It's the weekend. I'm tired. It's a bad chapter, I'm sorry. No fluff...I'm really sorry. Not much else to say. I'll make the next one better. I already have an idea for my next story, whenever I write it.**

**Also, sorry for the poor OC character development. I didn't want to make her the 'I'm so bubbly and cheerful and Nagi's childhood best friend' type of girl, so I opted for the...colder type. Yet not completely cold, cause that would be a...what do you call it, a Talent Mary-Sue? Reading lots of FanFics about How to Write a FanFic these days. Hee~~**

**DANG. I'm sleepy. I'm going to bed now. And I don't care if you guys think it's early. SLEEP EARLY TO GROW~~~**

**Hope you liked it! Check my profile for my poll on what I should write about in the future!**

**~~*Hope-chan*~~**


	8. Chapter 8: Fighting Out and Making Up

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait! I had an English project and I worked HARD over it over the weekend, and then on Monday, my two groupmates had a fight...one of them cried...it was...UGH. Anyways, here's the story! I added a mini-SongFic as an apology for the lateness! Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I think I replied to all of them. If I didn't I'm sorry. :)**

**Alright. Enjoy!**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! or parts of Hate that I Love You (ft. Ne-Yo) by Rihanna in any way)**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Fighting Out and Making Up**

Roaming around on school grounds, I searched around for Nagihiko and Chika, though my sense of direction proved to fail me, once more. As I roamed around, I realized that the more I roamed, the more I felt like I was getting nowhere. Sure, I've been at the High School Division Building for three years, but it wasn't like I went around _everywhere_, so there was (hopefully) still some reason why I couldn't find my way around the school.

Or was it simply cause I was short? Yeah right.

Catching a mutter in the breeze, I froze in my tracks and listening carefully to where the voice came from. Straining my ears to hear, I quietly walked as I followed the mutterings, increasing in volume, to behind the back building and discovering Nagihiko tugging on Chika's wrist as Chika struggled to get away.

"Let go of me!" Chika hissed harshly, continuing trying to shake Nagihiko's hand off. Yet Nagihiko didn't seem to make any notion to let go. "Let go!" Chika screamed once more, shaking her arm even more desperately. Nagihiko didn't let go, as I crept along a tree to hide behind it and see where the fight was developing towards.

"No." Nagihiko said, loudly, clearly, simply, and forcefully. Chika froze and uncontrollably started sniffing, probably controlling her tears, and stopped struggling. The two stood there in silence, neither moving nor making any notion of striking up a conversation. Finally, Chika broke the silence.

"Let go…" she whispered, in an ever long voice. A tear unconsciously dropped out of her eyes, which Nagihiko took notice of. He turned Chika around and found her whole entire face full of tears, as the two looked at each other…longingly, into their eyes. I slightly shuffled my feet silently as I scooted behind the tree trunk a bit more. Nagihiko opened his mouth to say something, but Chika spoke first.

"No." She said. Nagihiko closed his mouth, a confused expression hanging on his face. Chika muttered something incoherently that Nagihiko apparently didn't understand either. Her eyes strayed to stare on the ground, as to not gaze directly into Nagihiko's amber orbs.

"I said I'm fine!" Chika snapped, jerking her hand away from Nagihiko's grasp, and staring at him ruefully into his eyes. A staring battle broke out, neither of them twitching a muscle, when finally, Chika broke the gaze.

"I can't." she said, turning around as so her back faced Nagihiko. She unintentionally heaved a deep breathe, closing her eyes and along a solitary tear slip out one last time out of her puffy eyes. "I'm not the Chika you knew. I'm sorry." She said cryptically, though Nagihiko seemed to understand.

"What happened…after I left?" Nagihiko asked, gulping. Chika copied Nagihiko, as her body started to tremble. Finally, the trembling stopped and she drew a deep breathe.

"Everything. Please, no more." Chika insisted. Nagihiko didn't make a sound as Chika raised her head and looked directly forward. "I—I don't hate you. I don't. But…no." Chika finally said. Nagihiko gulped, nodding his head.

"You know I'll figure out what happened to you anyways." He mentioned. Chika bit her lip and slowly nodded.

"Course. You're that type of person." Chika said. "But…I choose delay." Chika said, as she walked off, soundlessly, her Chara following behind her, as Nagihiko stared at her retreating figure.

I took care to hide behind the tree, but unfortunately, when Nagihiko isn't preoccupied with something, his observance skills were at its max. The moment I slightly moved myself to settle down in a more comfortable position, his head jerked towards my direction. "Who?" he asked in a rather demanding way. I froze, attempting to sneak away, but Nagihiko's approaching footsteps made it difficult. Finally, I decided to give up and just run away, but before I did so, my hair got caught in a bush. Curse my hair.

"OW!" I exclaimed rather audibly, as Nagihiko popped his head from behind the tree. He laughed at the pitiful sight of my hair stuck in a branch, as he walked over and gently helped sort out my hair. I blushed slightly when his hand brushed over my scalp. Why though? Why did I? I flattened my hair as to occupy myself.

"A—arigatou." I stuttered. Nagihiko looked at me like I was an alien. I looked at him like he was the weird one. "What?" I asked. Nagihiko blinked.

"You realize what you just did." Nagihiko asked, or more of prodded. I slowly nodded. Nagihiko blinked again.

"You realize you just _thanked_ me." Nagihiko emphasized, as I rolled my eyes.

"Come on, it's not like we can stay mortal enemies forever. I've thanked you before, haven't I? Get over it, Purplehead. It's not like I l—like you or something." I silently cursed over my stuttering, hoping Nagihiko didn't notice. He was still staring at me weirdly. I slapped his face.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, placing his hand over this cheek. I slightly chortled. "Come on, it's just a slap. Don't you get many of these when you break up with your girlfriends?" I asked. Nagihiko rolled his eyes.

"Nah. They're all too busy worshipping my words and recording them." Nagihiko said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. I let out a laugh, as Nagihiko's smile broadened. Wait…he was driving away from the main subject!

"Hey, don't try to run away from the main topic!" I exclaimed. Nagihiko blinked innocently. "Topic?" he asked. "What, of your hair?" he said amusingly. I sighed.

"No running away, Purplehead. Who's Sasaki-san?" I asked. At this, Nagihiko's eyes hardened. He looked at me, his gaze almost a threatening glare.

"Nothing." He said, harshly, crudely, rudely, directly. Stiffly, he turned his head towards the side, not facing me directly in my face. I glared at him straight back.

"What are you talking about? Sure I'm dumb, but not completely as to not think something was wrong after your exchange with her just now." Nagihiko suddenly stood up and turned his back towards me.

"I said, Rima-chan, this doesn't have to do with you." He said.

"So you _do_ admit something is up."

"…Yes." He finally admitted. Yes, I was one step closer!

"What then? Why can't you tell me?" I asked. Nagihiko clenched his fists.

"I said I can't! Don't you understand?" Nagihiko snapped; in a state I rarely saw him: anger. Frustration. Rage. At…me?

"U—understand? Yes, of course I do! I understand, so I need to help!" I exclaimed right back.

"You don't understand anything!"

"I so do!"

"How could you? Stop acting so!"

"When did I act like I did? Are you blaming me for trying to help?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed, turning his body around and moving with body language.

That was it. I was never a patient person, and Nagihiko wasn't an exception. I glared at him once more and slapped him finely across the cheek. This time, he didn't yelp. "Fine! I'll leave you be then! Be alone! Hope you'll rot up, shrivel and die, Purplehead." I huffed, turning around and leaving, striding rather large strides, leaving Nagihiko far behind me.

That Purplehead, his nerve! What in the world was wrong with him? There wasn't possibly anything we couldn't share now that we were fr—

WHOA. Was I just about to say _friends_? Well, at least we're not enemies anymore. That's improvement. I soon got tired from the long strides I was taking and slowed down back to me petite steps. I sighed tiredly, wishing KusuKusu was here to talk to me.

Tiredly, I shuffled my feet as I trudged home as quickly as I could. Yet it turned out to be rather slow.

* * *

"RIMA!" I heard Amu's voice yelling out my voice from behind me the next morning. I turned around and saw her familiar figure, once more, just like any morning, and smiled friendlily at her. Suddenly, another familiar figure appeared at her side, at which I immediately stiffened up and dropped my smile.

"Fujisaki-san." I said curtly, greeting Nagihiko with a simple nod. He nodded back, as Amu watched our exchange with interest and confusion. "Um…did something happen?" she asked. My mind traced back to Chika's words.

"Everything. Nothing. Something." I said, as I turned around and walked off before Amu or Nagihiko could catch up to me. I sighed. If this was what school was gonna be like the whole day, it was rather certain I could possibly die from sheer fatigue of all this act I was putting up. What I really wanted to do?

Slap him harshly across the face once more.

Yell at him for treating me so meanly yesterday.

Stomp on his foot and tell him that's what he gets.

Tug on his hair till they all fall out. If that doesn't work, shave it.

But sadly, some inner emotion took over and prevented it all. I entered the classroom, taking my seat next to Chika. She was busy listening to her iPod. I raised my head to see what song she was listening to. It was Because of You by Kelly Clarkson. Nice taste of music she had.

Before she noticed, I took my seat. Grimly, I winced the moment Nagihiko entered the room and his surveying gaze landed on me. Turning away from his stare, I idly gazed at Chika's iPod till I realized KusuKusu was still stuck in my bag. Opening it up, she floated out, sleepy and groggy-looking, as usual on bad mornings.

"Rima…" KusuKusu muttered, rubbing her eyes. "Ohayo…" she mumbled. I was just able to figure out her words. She stifled a yawn and waved, signaling she was going off to have fun. Lucky her. I stared at her as she floated out of the window and Rhythm followed after her. Lucky Charas.

Rhythm…

Nagihiko…

ARGH. Why was I thinking about him again? He was so rude, so mean yesterday! I already swore I wouldn't actually talk to him till he apologized. I was in no mood to think about that, as I glanced at the clock.

_Tick, tick, tick…_the clock's second-hand went. I groaned. School would probably be slower than usual today.

* * *

"Nagi!" Amu exclaimed, greeting our Jack this afternoon with a friendly hug. He smiled politely at her, as I accidentally caught his glance. Immediately I jerked my head the other way and pretended I was preoccupied with having a stare contest…with my teacup…

"Alright. Is everyone here?" Tadase asked. I looked around, and sure enough, everyone was. We took our seats as I refused to touch my teacup. No one noticed.

"Alright. About the Christmas Ball…" Tadase started. CRAP. I totally forgot about that with all the things going on, with Chika and Nagihiko. Unintentionally, I flinched at the mention at his name. School was just awkward while evading him, cause he was in my class. Every time he and I caught each other's gaze, I immediately jerked my head the other way. Every time we brushed past each other in the halls, I unintentionally flinched. It…wasn't very nice.

"Decoration Committee, are you going to set up your decorations anytime soon?" Tadase asked. "If you remember, the gym is already emptied." I forgot about it yesterday, after the whole affair with Chika.

"O—" I was about to say 'okay' when I realized I was talking simultaneously with Nagihiko. Immediately both of us closed our mouths. Yet this did not go by unnoticed.

"Nagi-kun? Rima-chii? Are you okay?" Yaya asked worriedly.

"Yeah." Again, simultaneously. Amu couldn't help but laugh, as Tadase laughed along good-naturedly.

"Shut up." I said, finally not at the same time. "We'll do the decorating after this freakin' meeting, 'kay?" I said. They soon stopped and got back to topic. Great, I'd have to tell Mama I was staying afterschool to do the decoration with—

CRAP. Just realized that meant I'd have to work with Nagihiko. I frowned and bit my lip. Better face it now though.

* * *

"Come on, Mashiro-san." Nagihiko said emotionlessly. I frowned. Was he really angry? Usually, he'd have apologized by now if he made a mistake. Did I really hurt him so much? I wasn't quite sure, as I gulped and followed his lead. What should I do?

"Give me some of the bags." I said, looking at him lugging the ten bags half-way across the school campus. He continued walking. "No." He said. I sighed.

"Give." I said forcefully, as he drew to a stop. Turning around, he rolled his eyes and handed me a bag to hold. "Happy, my queen?" he asked sarcastically, as I bit my lip once more. Dang, this wasn't progressing…nicely. We continued walking to the gym in silence, as Nagihiko placed down his bags and I placed down my one.

Decorating wasn't too difficult. We'd already gotten the basic outline down, and so we simply quickly split the work and worked on our own quietly and motionlessly. The Christmas tree was already up, as Nagihiko quickly worked to put up all the ornaments and I helped place the streamers and banners up. Getting bored, I pulled out my iPod and placed it on shuffle, listening to a song as I worked.

_That's how much I love you_

_That's how much I need you_

_And I can't stand ya_

_Most everything you do make me wanna smile_

_Can I not like it for awhile?_

"Sorry." Nagihiko finally muttered. I blinked. Had what I thought would never happen happen? I blinked once more.

"Pardon?" I asked, my polite tone still up, turning around to face him. Nagihiko sighed, taking his hand down from the ornament he'd just put him.

"Sorry." He said, clearly, crystal clear, perfectly understandable, as he looked at me seriously into my eyes. I couldn't help but let out a small smile.

_But I hate it_

_You know exactly what to do_

_So that I can't stay mad at you_

_For too long, that's wrong_

I smiled, half at the lyrics and half at Nagihiko. "It's…alright. I overreacted as well. I'm sorry." I said. Nagihiko broke out into a smile.

_And I hate how much I love you, boy_

_I can't stand how much I need you_

_And I hate how much I love you, boy_

_But I just can't let you go_

_And I hate that I love you so_.

I pulled out my iPod and turned it off, stuffing it into my pocket. I smiled.

Perhaps…everything would be okay?

"Chika-chan?" he exclaimed, looking past my shoulder to the gym door. I turned around and saw a wondered sight.

Chika was standing there, one of her eyes differing from its usual gentle shade of magenta, blazing a fierce bloodshot red, and her normally black hair seeming to start to gleam silver and white. Her lips were deadly red, her clothes total gothic, and a pained expression on her face.

"Death…" she muttered under her breathe, her pain etched clearly on her face. Finally, she closed her eyes and let out a sharp cry, piercing my eardrums. I plugged them and opened my eyes when the shrieking stopped. Chika's other eye turned completely blood red and her hair was clearly white. A smirk replaced her previous expression.

"Let's have some fun…with _Death_." She said, smirking evilly.

* * *

**Meh...I've got minor Writer's Block. I TRY to still update even if I do...I gotta go study for my Science quiz. ARGH. **

**The SongFic (if it even counts)...is random...I'm seriously not in a good mood now...gotta go guys. Hope you'll...be fine with it? I'm sorry for the poor quality. Hope you liked it though! Not much fluff...I'm sorry, even though I said I'd have more. The stupid Writer's Block isn't leaving me. I'll try drills tonight. Drills of Daydreaming. Doubt it'll work though.**

**Hope you liked it!**

**~~*Hope-chan*~~**


	9. Chapter 9: To Protect To Defend

**Dargh...high school stress is kicking in. I had five quizzes, two projects, and a paper all due in the same week. DANG. So I'm changing to updating once a week, probably on the weekends, now. Sorry about that. I'll try writing more stories though. And the result for my poll is...SERIES! I'll think up of a new series as soon as I can. Thanks for voting, everyone! Hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 9:**** To Protect To Defend**

"Chi—chika-chan?" Nagihiko asked hesitantly. I gulped. Was that even Chika? She seemed to be in a painful charanari, as Nagihiko and I quickly charanaried as well.

"Charanari: Clown Drop!"

"Charanari: Beat Jumper!"

"Chika-chan, what are you doing?" Nagihiko asked, in a position ready to defend against any attack. Chika…err…if it's her, smirked even wider.

"Chika? That's not my name, my dear, dear Nagi." She said in a sugar-sweet tone yet mixed with her cocky tone, so it just sounded weird. "My name is Noir Diamond!" she exclaimed, shooting a beam of dark energy towards me. I quickly dodged out of the way. Thank goodness being charanaried slightly increased my athletic abilities.

"Chika-chan!" Nagihiko exclaimed once more. "What are you doing?" he asked. Chika let out a laugh.

"Protecting you, of course! I need to kill her to protect you!" she exclaimed, jabbing a finger in my direction. I looked at her weirdly. How in the world did killing me protect Nagihiko? Did I even pose a threat towards Nagihiko?

"Chika-chan! What are you doing? Rima-chan's my friend." I half-choked on the 'friend' word. Weren't we enemies? I glared at him.

"I'm not your friend, Purplehead." He sweat-dropped at my declaration, at which Chika pointed out.

"She isn't your friend Nagi! So I must…KILL HER!" Chika exclaimed. "Darkened Diamonds!" she exclaimed, sending a fury of black diamond shards towards my direction. I managed to avoid some but the others managed to scrape my skin, especially a rather deep gash dangerously near my neck. I winced at the blood that was coming out from the cuts as Nagihiko rushed over.

"Rima-chan, are you okay?" he asked caringly, checking my whole body for injuries. I quickly shrugged it of. "I'm fine." I said, turning my attention back to Chika. Was she serious? She was killing me because I wasn't Nagihiko's friend?

"Chika! Why are you harming my friend? Harming her means hurting me!" Nagihiko exclaimed. Chika was about to fire another attack when suddenly, her eyes widened, her hand remaining stuck out in front of her. Slightly, she trembled, turning her hand around and looking at her own palm. "W—what?" she stuttered, her whole body trembling. She placed her hands on the two sides of her head and let out another ear-piercing scream, running…err…floating out of the gym. I made the notion to follow after but the cuts, especially the gash, burned and I tripped over myself. "Rima-chan!" Nagihiko exclaimed, turning around and coming towards me. I grunted.

"Baka! Go chase after Chika! Don't you want to know what's wrong with her?" I barked. Nagihiko blinked but nodded, turning around once more to chase after the Chika who ran away. I managed to crawl over to the wall and leaned on it, as I stifled a yawn. I _was_ rather tired from the fight…perhaps…I should take a nap…

And I soon fell asleep.

* * *

I woke up and found myself surrounded by white things: white walls, white ceiling, a white table nearby…and white bed sheets. I struggled to get up, but suddenly, my gash in my neck pained again. Perhaps it was deeper than I thought. Slightly straining my neck and turning it, I surveyed my surroundings, when suddenly, an alarm went off. Dang...was I kidnapped?

The door opened and in rushed what strangely looked like a nurse, with her white hat and outfit. I looked at her with a questioning look, and she smiled peacefully, walking over and taking a seat next to me.

"Rima-chan? You're in the hospital right now." the nurse said, as I nodded. Perhaps someone found me. But who?

"You were found wounded in the gym. A long-haired boy carried you over. Do you remember what happened?" she asked, taking out a clipboard. I gulped. What did Nagihiko say?

"I…don't." I lied. She nodded, scribbling something down on her clipboard. "Then do you remember everything else about yourself? I'm checking if you have amnesia, dear." She added. I nodded.

"I'm Mashiro Rima. I attend Seiyo High School. I live with my parents." I said. The nurse smiled.

"Alright. You have visitors, but your parents insisted they let you rest so they've left. I'll call you parents in now, alright?" she asked. I nodded, as I got myself supported on the back of the bed, sitting up. Soon, my parents rushed in, each worried to death.

"Rima-chan!" my mother gushed, cupping my cheeks as if checking if I were still alive. I frowned at the public display of motherly affection as my mother didn't notice and continued bubbling out questions.

"Are you alright Rima? I was at work when I was suddenly called my the nurse and said you were at the hospital! Who was it? What happened? Did someone do this on purpose?" she gurgled, as I cut her off.

"Mama, I'm fine. I…don't quite remember what happened." I lied once again, as Mama nodded…understandingly?

"I understand. The shock must have been too much for you, so you forgot about what happened…" she said. Whoa, when was my mom so smart?

"Rima…are you sure you're fine?" Papa asked. I smiled at him. "Yes Papa. Sorry for making you worry." Papa grunted and nodded gruffly.

Unconsciously, a smile stretched out on my face. For once, my parents cared. They didn't fight. They didn't argue. Perhaps…perhaps…

Things would get better?

* * *

"It's all your fault! If you would have watched her!"

"I was at work! Why weren't you there?"

I sighed, listening to my parent's arguments from inside my room. My wound was treated up and healed enough for me to get out of the hospital. It was an innocent remark that Mama made, which Papa retorted, at which Mama argued back, and then Papa defended himself, and Mama fought on, and Papa yelled, and by the time we were home, another full-blown fight had started.

I sighed, concentrating on my homework. Perhaps it was because I asked them while they were fighting, but when I asked if I needed to go to school tomorrow, they insisted. Chika had attacked me on Tuesday, and I'd been sleeping in the hospital for one day, or so I was told. So tomorrow was Thursday. Which meant—

WHICH MEANT THE CHRISTMAS BALL WAS COMING UP.

And I hadn't thought up of a plan to ditch yet.

* * *

"Rima! Are you okay?" Amu asked caringly when she saw me the next morning. I smiled, slightly moving my shoulder to assuage the pain building up in my shoulder, and nodded.

"I'm fine." I told her. "Really." I added, seeing her look of disbelief. A troubled expression remained on her face but she managed a smile.

"Let's go!" she exclaimed, grabbing my hand and lightly tugging, to not hurt my shoulder, as I dashed off towards school with her. Then I realized…

Kukai couldn't do his "dash!" practices with me for awhile.

Mwahahahahahahahaha.

* * *

It turned out my injury wasn't as serious as I thought it was. Mama and Papa overreacted when they saw it, and Nagihiko wasn't sure what to do so he brought me to the hospital. So in reality, those pains were partially from my imagined thought of how serious my injury was.

Says Mr. Psychiatrist whose nose is stuck in a psychology book right now.

"Alright. The Christmas Ball is tomorrow. Is everyone ready?" Tadase asked. Though no one was really listening. It took much convincing from Tadase that finally, everyone realized what he was talking about.

"Nadeshiko and I are making the foods tomorrow…with Rima and Nagi?" Amu asked uncertainly, at which I nodded. Nagihiko glared.

"I need to watch so she doesn't bunk and go find that kangaroo." Nagihiko muttered under his breathe evilly. I mentally laughed. It was funny how Nagihiko called Ryuu kangaRYUU. It was the closest he could find I guess.

"Souma-kun and our entertainment are all done as well. Yuiki-san, your group?" Tadase asked. Yaya smiled and held out a peace sign. You know, the V-shaped thing?

"We're all done talking with Utau-chii! She'll be at the ball!" Yaya exclaimed. He then turned towards me and Nagihiko.

"Yeah, we're done." I said. Turned out Nagihiko finished all the work by himself, and was making me feel guilty and uncomfortable for…getting hurt? Nah, whatever. He was the guy after all.

Tadase clapped his hands together. "Alright then. We're all set. There will be an assembly today before school ends. We'll need to announce about the Christmas Ball one more time, for advertising." I nodded along. The Christmas Ball was long spread around the school, but the entrance fee was needed to equal out our budget, so Tadase wanted as many people as possible.

Including…Chika?

My mind suddenly flashed back to Chika. I hadn't seen her at school today. Was she okay? How was she? Was she hurt? Did she get attacked? Why did she run away? Did Nagihiko catch up with her?

"Did you catch up with her?" I asked out loud. Everyone turned towards me, and I turned towards Nagihiko. "I'm asking if you caught up, Purplehead." I asked. He sweat-dropped at the nickname but proceeded nonetheless.

"Sadly, no." he said. I nodded, turning my head back towards the general direction. "Did she have a Chara when you first me her?" Nagihiko thought about it.

"Now that you mention it, she _did_ have it back in Osaka." Nagihiko said thoughtfully, while everyone else sweat-dropped. "What desire was it made out of?" I asked. He thought about it.

"I think…to protect." He said. My mind traced back to all those words she'd said. When you actually thought about it…perhaps…

"Hey, remember those ? eggs?" Amu asked everyone. Slowly, we recalled the memories of Lulu and Nana. "Well, ? eggs appeared when Lulu corrupted them, right?" Again, we nodded.

"Well…doesn't Chika sound a bit like a ? egg?" Amu asked. Again, more thinking. "She wants to protect, presumably, Nagi, so she…wants to kill Rima." Amu finished uncertainly.

"That…" Nagi started, when suddenly, his eyes brightened up, "actually makes sense!" he exclaimed, placing his book on the side. I narrowed my eyes down.

"And why in the world would she want to protect Nagihiko?" I asked. Amu looked at me like I was dumb. Which I wasn't!

"Duh! Cause she _loves_ him! Awh…so cute! A childhood love!" Amu gushed. Nagihiko sweat-dropped and I sighed tiredly. Gosh, just a childhood l—love! What was there to get so excited over!

Yet…why did I stutter?

* * *

"RIMA!!!" Amu exclaimed loudly, bringing my senses back into conscious. As they had started talking about Chika and Nagihiko's relationship, I fell asleep. I yawned and looked at Amu irritably.

"Yes?" I asked. She had just awoken me from a brilliant dream! About—

About…

_About…_

Comedy. As usual. Of course, what else would I dream of? Nagihiko?

Why did he even come in mind?

"RIMA!" Amu exclaimed once more. I jumped this time, gazing directly back into Amu's honey orbs. "Yes?" I asked. She sighed.

"The Christmas Ball is tomorrow. Wanna go shopping for your dress today?" Amu asked. I groaned and realized I hadn't thought of a ditching plan yet.

"And we'll make sure you won't ditch." Yaya added from the side. I groaned. Friends just knew you too well.

"I'll go to the mall with you…though I'm only critiquing your dresses." Yaya and Amu cheered nonetheless, as they dragged me out of the Royal Garden. Evidently, Nagihiko and Tadase had already left.

Catching a taxi and riding to the mall, Yaya jumped excitedly and entered enthusiastically. Immediately, a fluffy pink Sweet Lolita dress got her attention as she rushed over it. A gothic black dress caught Amu's attention, though she took caution as to casually scooting over so no one would scold her. And thus, I wandered to the food court. Getting a carton of juice, I quickly finished it and went to find the two, who had probably enough time to collect a pile of dresses already.

"RIMA-CHII! Check out Yaya's dresses!" Yaya exclaimed, dragging me over to the entrance of a dressing room. She went in and came out in an elegant white dress, flowing down to her ankles, yet not of the wedding gown color. It was more…like the color of pale, pale pink. I frowned though.

"Looks like PJs. Probably cause it's made of silk." I commented. Yaya looked at the mirror, frowned, but nodded, agreeing with me. She went back into her dressing room to try on another dress, when Amu came out from the dressing room on the right.

"Hey Rima. How do I look in this?" she asked. I turned towards her, seeing she had an aquamarine dress on, with a thin strap hanging on her shoulders. The top half of her body was tight, due to the dress, though the bottom flowed freely with the loose fabric running down to her knees. Yet still, I frowned.

"Clashes with your hair, Amu." I said. She looked in the mirror: pink and bright blue. Definitely not her. Immediately, she went back into the dressing room.

"Rima-chii, this one?" Yaya asked. I groaned. This was going to go on and on for a _long_ time.

* * *

Finally, after an hour, we had picked out suitable dresses for each. Amu had decided on a red halter dress going down slightly below her knees. Two red straps tied up behind Amu's back, leaving her basically bare on her back. There was a red ribbon tied around her waist, with a decoartive hoop supporting it.

Yaya's dress was a strapless pink one, the top hugging her body tightly while the bottom was puffy with layers, rather fitting for Yaya, in my opinion. Next for them were…shoes. Dang it.

"RIMA-CHII! YAYA LIKE THESE SHOES!" Yaya exclaimed, waving a pair of shoes at me. I sweat-dropped.

"Yaya…it's the Christmas Ball. You aren't gonna be wearing tennis shoes." I sighed at her immaturity, while Amu cautiously examined some flats.

I should never allow them to take me shopping.

* * *

After another hour, _finally,_ they'd chosen their shoes and accessories. Amu decided on these amazing black stilettos, going amazingly well with her dress, and Yaya had found a pair of golden flats, opened-toe at the very end. As for accessories, Amu purchased a white necklace, after much persuasion she looked too dark, and Yaya bought a barrette she said she'd put in her hair. Finally, the three of us collapsed onto a bench.

"FINALLY! You guys were so slow! We can go home now!" I exclaimed. Yaya and Amu turned towards me evilly though, rubbing their hands like those evil masterminds that had an evil plan they were thinking about…and were gonna execute.

"Rima-chii, you haven't picked out _anything_ yet!" Yaya exclaimed. I gulped. I saw where this conversation was heading. But before I could open my mouth, I was dragged into a store, stuffed into a dressing room with tons of clothes she stuck in. I sighed, carefully picking out a pale colored one and tried it on.

NEVER SHOP AGAIN.

Mental reminder.

* * *

"But Rima, this looks good on you!" Amu exclaimed, as I looked in the mirror and frowned, going in the dressing room once again. I shook my head.

"Too many frills for my taste." I got my normal clothes back on and started roaming around the store myself. A particular dress caught my attention. It was a simple orange dress, strapless, going down to my ankles and with two fake rose decorations just below my left shoulder. Smiling, I picked it out of the rack.

"RIMA! TRY THAT ON!" Amu exclaimed, as I was rushed into the dressing room. Hesitantly getting out, I checked myself in the mirror. And for once, I was satisfied. Quickly returning into the dressing room, I got on my normal clothing. "I'm getting this." I decided, rushing to the cashier.

The rest of the journey was normal. I quickly chose a pair of golden high heels and an orange bow I agreed to wear, after much persuasion from the two who had discovered it. Finally, we were done with our shopping and taking a taxi home.

"Hey…so Kairi invited you to the ball?" I asked Yaya. She smiled and did her peace signal again.

"Yep! Yaya is so excited!" Yaya smiled. I nodded, and turned towards Amu. "You?" I asked. She blushed.

"Well…ermm…that day, after you left…Ikuto asked me…" her voice trailed off into a soft whisper. I nodded, smiling, glad that at least my friends had a partner.

"You, Rima?" Amu asked, turning the attention to me. I gulped.

"Nah, I think I'm going single this year."

"Again." Amu added. I sighed. Well, it wasn't _all_ the time! Just…most of the time…?

"Whatever. Here's my house." I said, getting off the cab. "See you guys." I said. Yaya and Amu glared at me.

"We're making sure you don't skip." They said simultaneously with a powerful Amu-shining-power combined with Yaya-crybaby-glare. Which was rather intimidating. I nodded and smiled weakly, shutting the cab door and rushing back home.

"Rima, where were you? You had Mama worried sick and—what? You went…_shopping_?" she asked unbelievably. I sighed.

"Yes, Mama. There's a ball tomorrow at school." She nodded, remembering I'd told her last week. "It'll be from 7:00 to 2:30." Hey, don't look at me accusingly! We needed back-up time to prepare and slightly clean-up.

Mama nodded. "Who's escorting you?" she asked. I choked on my juice. Es—escort?

"Mama, this isn't the Medieval Ages anymore." I pointed out. Mama smiled like an innocent mother though.

"But I need someone to make sure my Rima-chan will get home safely." Mama said slyly. Was she…forcing me to get a partner? I huffed.

"I'm old enough to take care of myself. Whatever." I said, stomping up the stairs. Collapsing down on my bed, I groaned out loud when I heard my cell phone ring.

"Hello?" I asked, my eyes closed as I remained lying on the bed. Yet at the voice, I immediately jumped up.

"Rima-chan? Is that you?" Nagihiko asked. I gulped, sitting up and nodded, though I knew he wouldn't see. "Yeah…" I muttered.

"Alright! Well…see…I have a bunch of fan-girls working up the nerve to ask me to the ball. I heard all their plans. So I thought…if I had someone else I was already going with, then they wouldn't bother me anymore! So—"

"So you're asking _me_?" I asked accusingly. I could almost imagine his sweat-drop.

"Um…yes. So will you?" he asked. I groaned. Now certainly wasn't the time to talk about this.

"No." I blurted out. There was a moment of silence.

_Dang, why did I say that?_

**Dun dun dun dun~~~ (you know, that evil music thing? no? whatever...) AND RIMA HAS REJECTED NAGIHIKO. WHAT'LL HAPPEN?? You'll have to wait. :P Hope you enjoyed!**

**~~*Hope-chan*~~**

**PS: for Amu and Yaya's dress, the links are on my profile**

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	10. Chapter 10: Rejection to a Confession?

**Haha, long time no see everyone. I'm being tortured by the new rule I made for myself (it's on my profile, if you've read it in your spare time). Anyways, I made it so I can't get on FanFic to do ANYTHING, either read FanFics or answer messages or stuff until I was posting something. SELF-TORTURE, I TELL YOU. Anyways, check my profile for a poll on which story I should do!**

**Hope you'll like this one!**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! in any way)**

* * *

**Chapter 10:** Rejection Leading to An Almost Confession

_Flashback:_

"_Alright! Well…see…I have a bunch of fan-girls working up the nerve to ask me to the ball. I heard all their plans. So I thought…if I had someone else I was already going with, then they wouldn't bother me anymore! So—"_

"_So you're asking me?" I asked accusingly. I could almost imagine his sweat-drop._

"_Um…yes. So will you?" he asked. I groaned. Now certainly wasn't the time to talk about this._

"_No." I blurted out. There was a moment of silence._

_Dang, why did I say that?_

* * *

The moment those words slipped out of my mouth, I immediately regretted it. It was partially reflexive I guess; I was too used to doing exactly the opposite of what Nagihiko wanted, like during battle plans, I'd run off the opposite direction of what he told us to do or during Guardian meetings, when he asked for my opinion, I'd keep silent and not say a word. So, instinctively, I said no to his offer. Though I seriously regretted it.

"A—alright. Sorry for bothering you then." Nagihiko muttered lowly. I winced. The pain I'd caused him was almost palpable through his voice. I wanted to yell in the phone, "Sorry! I'll go with you!" or "I take back my words!" though my body didn't follow my mind. "It's alright." I said instead, as I mentally crashed my head onto a wall. I rejected him, and I said it was alright he bothered me? How more stupid could I get?

"T—then I guess I'll ask someone else…_perhaps Chika_…" Nagihiko muttered the second part under his breathe, though my ears picked it up. I mentally growled…out of worry that Chika would hurt him and he was still so stupid to invite her.

"Yeah. I might go with someone else as well." You know what? I take back my words from just then. I've just said something stupider. "Well, I gotta go now. See you tomorrow," I said before I could say something stupider. When I realized that by saying that, I had just said something really stupid again.

"Y—yeah. I'm sorry for bothering you, Ri—Mashiro-san." Nagihiko said, stumbling over his words. I gulped. He had changed back to last-name basis…which definitely wasn't good. That moment, I felt pain. It was a torturous, numbing pain, in a way more painful than a sudden shock. It was like your heart was taken out and being fried slowly over a fire, as the flames just burned and burned and burned and burned your heart, slowly, painfully, torturously…

I then realized that Nagihiko had already hung up, as the _doooooooooo_ sound of the cell phone finally protruded into my ears.

I groaned out loud, tossing the phone towards the side of my bed, letting my hands fall to my two sides. Endlessly, I mentally banged my head on the hardest wall I could imagine: a diamond wall. Though I didn't know how hard it was. I just imagined pain to its limit. Dargh dargh dargh dargh dargh dargh dargh dargh D.A.R.G.H. Curse this world.

I sighed. Nothing could be done, and moping over the past would do me little good. I opened my eyes, sitting up and slightly shaking my head to let my hair settle down. Closing my eyes and taking one last sigh, I opened them and weighed my options.

First, I could randomly find a partner, meet Mama's requirements of an "escort," make Nagihiko mad, but then I can't ditch. And I kinda have to stay with him for the whole day. And I can't think of anyone I'd want to be stuck with for the whole dance.

OR

I can _not_ find a partner, but Mama might nag, Nagihiko would probably point out I was lying and tease me about it, I'd have to watch him dance with his dance partner, but I might be able to ditch, and I don't have to stick with anyone for the whole ball.

I think I'll go with the second one.

* * *

"Rima! We're baking today! Come on, let's go!" Amu exclaimed excitedly in the morning when she saw me at the school gates. Great, I just remembered I was baking with her and Nadeshiko and N—Nagihiko today.

Great, I'm stumbling over his name—OOMPH.

And great, I've crashed right into him.

"Rima-chan, crashing right into my embrace huh?" he asked teasingly. I looked up to see the same face I saw almost everyday: his long, purple hair, his large hazel eyes, his pale complexion, the blue Guardian cape, and that smile that always seemed to tick me off. I glared straight at him.

"Why would I want to do that?" I asked, huffing and crossing my arms. He shrugged, that playful smile still stuck on his face.

"Good point. You've rejected me already." He said quite solemnly. I winced, hoping he didn't see me. Amu, however, quite clearly heard his words.

"What? Nagi? You asked Rima to go to the ball? She rejected you? Rima, why'd you do so? Who else do you expect to go with? Do you really want to go with one of your fan-boys? I seriously don't understand why you refused Nagi's—"

"Whatever." I said, shrugging off Amu's words. I wasn't the slightest interested in how much she thought Nagi was nice. In fact, I didn't want to think about it, because all it did was make me guiltier for not accepting his offer. "He's asking Sasaki-san anyways." I said. Amu's eyes widened, as she turned towards Nagihiko.

"Really? You're asking her? That's great! I'm sure I'll be able to play the perfect match-maker, mwahahahahaha…" Amu trailed off.

And great, Amu was being Tadase-fied. Mwahahahahaha.

What was that? Must be the weather.

* * *

"Alright, minna! We have a lot of things on our list, so we'd better get started!" Nadeshiko exclaimed. We'd all rolled our sleeves up, tied our hair up, and put on an apron, though Nagihiko left his hair down. Nadeshiko pasted a large list on the wall behind a counter, which seemed to go on forever. And of course, that x100 wasn't quite comforting to see.

"Alright! For the party, we'll be making various desserts! I've already taken the top twenty from surveys passed out to the school. The top voted were white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, triple chocolate cake, strawberry shortcake, frosted cupcakes, white chocolate mousse, fruit tarts, pumpkin pie, and of course, we can't forget apple pies!" Nadeshiko exclaimed enthusiastically. Amu had chara-changed with Suu, so her eyes were blazing with passion as well. Evidently, Nagihiko and I were the only sane ones.

"Alright! Since we have to much, we'll split up the work! Onii-chan and Rima-chan will do these, and Amu-chan and I will do these!" Nadeshiko exclaimed, drawing a line on the middle of the list. I sighed rather audibly, as I flinched afterward. It wasn't quite the thing to do, eh?

"Alright. Let's just get this over with." Nagihiko said gruffly under his breathe. I sighed, agreeing so, as Nagihiko assembled the ingredients. My job was the simplest: mix the mixture, set the temperature, and place the dish in. Thank goodness. Anything more complicated and I'd be responsible for the deaths of the people who got food poisoning at the ball.

It was rather amusing watching Nagihiko bake. Every egg, he cracked the same way: holding it in one hand, crashing it down to the rim of the bowl, and cracking it open, as the white and yellow substance flowed into the bowl. All the butter went through the same process: cut to the amount, weighed, diced up, and mixed. All the sugar was poured into a measuring cup and then poured into a bowl. Watching the whole process, for some reason, was interesting in a way: the way his hands moved from one bowl to another, the way the apron he was wearing twisted and twirled, following his body, the way his hair swished back and forth, as he constantly shook his head so his bangs would get out of the way, the way—

Am I sounding like a stalker? Rather yes.

"Rima-chan?" Nagihiko's voice came from above. I looked up at him annoyingly. "Yes? I'm doing just fine, right? Right?" I added, getting kind of worried I was doing the wrong thing. He smiled.

"Yeah, you're doing fine. We're done with all of them. All we have left is frosting the cupcakes. I'll need your help." Nagihiko said. I nodded, standing up from my stool and looking around. Whoa. When'd we finish so much? Trays and trays of cakes with beautiful layers, pies freshly baked, and cupcakes to-be frosted laid on the counter.

"Onii-chan, Rima-chan? Amu-chan and I forgot the fruits for the tarts. We'll go buy them." Nadeshiko said, grabbing Amu's wrist. Nagihiko laughed.

"Just like with me back then when we were making tarts for Hotori-kun." Nagihiko remarked. "Why are both of you going though?" Nagihiko asked. Nadeshiko rolled her eyes.

"Last time it was one tart, so if it was only you that went, it was fine. This time, it's the amount of fruits for a whole PARTY. Of course, I need an extra hand to help." Nadeshiko said matter-of-factly. "We'll be back shortly. Don't do anything!" Nadeshiko said.

"Like I would!" I yelled after her and Amu's retreating figure. Huffing, I turned back to Nagihiko, who was already preparing the frosting.

"Alright. So, all you need to do is hold the cupcake while I squeeze the frosting on, alright? Cause I don't want to be squeezing the frosting and suddenly, it moves and my genius design is messed up." Nagihiko said sarcastically. I smiled.

"Alright." I said, simple and down to the point. Holding the first cupcake slowly, I watched as Nagihiko's hand moved and squeezed various designs on each cupcake. The first one was a Christmas tree. The next one was two bells. Then, a Christmas ornament. A star. A gift package. And Santa Claus. And various other designs that followed suit. He was about to squeeze the last one when his hands froze. I looked up at him instead of the cupcake this time.

"Nagihiko?" I asked. He looked at me and smiled.

"Rima-chan, do you want to try?" he asked. A smile couldn't help but appear on my face as I greedily took the frosting tube from him. Positioning it at the cupcake, my hand froze too.

"Just squeeze whatever design you want." Nagihiko said reassuringly. I nodded but frowned.

"What design should it be?" I asked. Nagihiko shrugged.

"Whatever you want it to." He said. I glared at him. "Obviously." I said. He laughed.

"Frankly, it doesn't matter now, does it?" he asked rhetorically. I thought about it and realized he was right. It wasn't like someone wasn't gonna eat my cupcake cause the design was horrible…or would they?

Hesitantly, I allowed my hands to move above the cupcake, squeezing the frosting. Unluckily, my first squeeze was inexperienced, so a flow of frosting landed on one spot, making a big white blob there. I didn't stop though as my hand hovered over the cupcake, finally finishing my design. Nagihiko peered at it curiously.

"Umm…nice…white blob?" Nagihiko complimented hesitantly. I wiped my cheeks from the sweat and glared at him.

"It's a heart, Purplehead." I said. Nagihiko looked at the cupcake again, turning angles and finally recognizing my heart.

"O—of course it's a heart! It's a heart…made from a white blob…?" he said doubtingly, as I sighed.

"H—hey." I stuttered. From my peripheral vision, I could tell he didn't look up from the cupcake. "Hmm?" he asked. I gulped.

"Are you really asking Chi—Sasaki-san to the ball?" I asked, completely turning my back to him and pretending to be checking my hands for something. I could hear him turn the spinning chair, the squeaky noise heard, as I gulped.

"Perhaps," he answered vaguely. "Who are you asking?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Someone." I answered as vaguely as he had answered mine. The two of us stood in silence for a while, as the awkwardness started getting the better of me.

"What's taking Nadeshiko and Amu so long?" I asked, looking up towards the clock. They'd already been gone for ten minutes. Was the fruits store so far? I turned around to go out of the door and stalk them down but I found myself standing dangerously close to Nagihiko.

"N—Nagihiko?" I stammered, flushing from the distance between us. A smirk twirled on his lips.

"Yes, Rima-chan?" he asked in a sweet voice, slightly bending down so his head was at the same level as mine. I closed my eyes, willing my blush to fade away, though I couldn't tell if it worked or not.

Suddenly, I felt my wrists being pinned onto the wall behind me. Fearfully, I opened up my eyes to see Nagihiko's arms being the ones who pinned my wrists, and his face slightly looking down on the ground. Ever so slightly, his hands trembled. Caringly, I asked, "Nagi? Something wrong?"

That stopped the shaking as he raised his head and looked at me, his eyes blazing with something I could not read. The normal gentle hazel was replaced by a burning amber color that I couldn't tell what he was thinking. Slowly, his face approached mine as my eyes fearfully grew wide. Was he gonna—

His lips then softly touched mine.

Yes, he kissed me.

It was rather different than the one in the closet. This one was fiercer, more demanding…heating up rather quickly. His tongue soon stuck itself into my mouth. Though just as suddenly he kissed me, he also suddenly drew back.

I opened my mouth, staring into his golden eyes, this time mellow with gentleness, the blaze gone. What seemed like a frown hung on his face as he gently kissed my cheek, licking the frosting I'd gotten on off. He then let go of my wrists and smiled weakly.

"You still taste sweeter than it." He said, turning and going back to the cupcakes. I blinked at his retreating figure.

"What do you mean?" I exclaimed. He stopped moving and turned around, his face scribbled over with the word CARE. "Hmm?" he asked, as I gulped.

"What do you mean? You kiss me and then say I taste sweet and then leave me? If you have something to say, tell me!" I exclaimed. Nagihiko's eyes slightly narrowed down in a gentle way, and the plastered smile dropped into what closely resembled a flat line.

"Do you really wanna know?" he asked, as I flash-backed to the sleepover. He'd said something similar, and in the end, I knew about it. I gulped, curiosity blazing inside of me.

"Yes." That was my answer. Nagihiko sighed, as his hazel eyes locked onto my similar ones.

"Truthfully, I—" he was cut off by a crash outside the door. We turned our heads towards that direction to see Amu and Nadeshiko holding bags of fruits and fallen on the ground.

"Nadeshiko! Great, now they'll discover that we've been eavesdropping all the tim—why hi Nagi, Rima. Ehehehehehe…the weather's nice isn't it?" Amu said with a nervous laugh. I turned towards Nagihiko, who smirked and nodded. I turned back to Amu and Nadeshiko, turning my death glare up to 120%.

"You. Two. Are. Sooooooooo. Dead."

* * *

**Haha, did I get you? I was gonna cut it off when Nagi said "Truthfully, I--" but I imagined many people would kill me if I wrote in the next chapter that Amu and Nadeshiko interrupted them. :D Haha. So I hope you liked this!**

**Not much to say here...so see ya! I gotta go to bed. Haha.**

**~~*Hope-chan*~~**


	11. Chapter 11: Preparation Complete

**I'm so sorry for the late update. Of course, I could come up with a list of excuses, but most of you are skipping this A/N anyways so I find no point. But does Writer's Block sound familiar? Don't blame me; blame Writer's Block. I tried making this chappie longer...but it didn't turn out really long either. Really sorry.**

**School these days is harsh. I just told my best friend about a guy I liked. And another kinda-friend almost forced it out. She's got it narrowed down to three people. Haha, I know; I'm so weak-hearted. *sigh* Feeling slightly...scared after telling my secrets.**

**BUT, that does not concern you. I'm seriously doubting if I should just write whatever story the poll's highest for now, but the votes are so close. :P Please vote!**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! or He Could Be The One by Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus. Enjoy!)**

* * *

**Chapter 11****: Before the Christmas Ball**

"_Truthfully, I—" he was cut off by a crash outside the door. We turned our heads towards that direction to see Amu and Nadeshiko holding bags of fruits and fallen on the ground._

"_Nadeshiko! Great, now they'll discover that we've been eavesdropping all the tim—why hi Nagi, Rima. Ehehehehehe…the weather's nice isn't it?" Amu said with a nervous laugh. I turned towards Nagihiko, who smirked and nodded. I turned back to Amu and Nadeshiko, turning my death glare up to 120%._

"_You. Two. Are. Sooooooooo. Dead."_

* * *

Sadly, we couldn't make our punishment too serious for Amu and Nadeshiko, because they still needed to be physically fit for the Christmas Ball. Sighing that we had a restricted amount of choices as to how to punish the two troublemakers, Nagihiko suited with what he wanted Nadeshiko to do.

"Now, _Nade-chan_, why don't we talk about who you're going with to the Christmas Ball?" Nagihiko said in another sickeningly sweet yet evil tone. Nadeshiko gulped, seeing where the conversation was leading to.

"Errmm…Ryuu-kun—" Nadeshiko's tentative response was cut off my Nagihiko.

"NO! You'll be going with ME!" he exclaimed, jabbing a finger at himself. Amu and I blinked.

"Isn't that incest though?" I asked, as Nagihiko glared at me for wrecking up his genius plan. Evidently, he didn't want his status at school to drop, as he sat down and rethought his plan, his genius mind's gears twirling to work. Suddenly, his eyes brightened up, as Nadeshiko's darkened.

"Alright! You can go with your kangaroo," Nagihiko said nonchalantly. Nadeshiko blinked at her brother. "Seriously?" she asked, questioning if he had a fever or not. Nagihiko smirked.

"Course," he said. Nadeshiko still couldn't believe it. "You mean it? No taking back your words?" Nadeshiko asked amazingly, as Nagihiko smirked.

"Course," he repeated himself, as Nadeshiko basically leaped with excitement. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed down and she stared at her brother. "There's an 'if' somewhere, isn't there?" she said. Nagihiko let out a laugh.

"Glad to know you still understand your brother. Course, you can go, IF you follow all of my rules," Nagihiko said innocently, while Nadeshiko groaned. She sighed, facing her brother seriously.

"'We must be in a room with at least another person, we cannot sneak off anywhere, we cannot kiss each other, neither of us are allowed to touch each other anywhere besides the places you need to for dancing, not including my butt, and—'" Nadeshiko gulped. Nagihiko, on the other hand, was smirking evilly.

"You need to stay in my vision 24/7," Nagihiko finished, as Nadeshiko sighed tiredly. "Fine, fine," she agreed, as she stood up to work on the fruit tarts. Maliciously, I turned towards Amu.

"Why, Amu, I think I've thought up of the perfect punishment for you!" I exclaimed ever-so-innocently-as-Purplehead-could-get. Amu gulped. "Y—yes?" she asked, attempting to keep her cool. I smirked.

"Hmm…seems like you and Ikuto are going to the ball, right?" I asked rhetorically, remembering her telling me about it when we went shopping. Hesitantly, she nodded her head, looking at us suspiciously. "So?" she questioned, as I smiled widely.

"Then it's set!" I exclaimed, walking out of the room. School was going to end in awhile, and we needed to finish all the foods before then. The teachers wanted to lock up the room directly afterschool.

"W—wait, Rima, what are you going to do to me?" Amu asked, as I shrugged.

"Oh, I don't know. You'll see though," I finished vaguely, leaving her to think up of all the punishments I could come up with. Smirking to myself as ideas sprang into mind, I walked over to Nagihiko's and my finished works: cakes with elegant toppings, frosted cupcakes, beautifully decorated cheesecakes…why in the world was Purplehead so talented?

"Whadda we do now?" I asked Nagihiko, who was observing Nadeshiko's movement if she'd thought of anyway to loop around Nagihiko's rules. Turning his attention to me, he shrugged.

"Wait for them to finish and start bringing the foods to the gym, I presume," he said. "In fact, why don't we start moving them now. That'll be faster," Nagihiko said, walking over to take a plate of cakes and a plate of pies in the other, looking a lot like a waiter, as he started moving towards the gym. "Come on now, Rima-chan, don't slack off. Help out too," he said, as I growled. Taking one plate of cupcakes in my two hands, I followed after him towards the gym.

Plate by plate, we put all of the finished foods in the gym. Finally, Nadeshiko and Amu came from behind us, each holding two plates of complete fruit tarts. What was up with people holding two plates at once? Was I really so petite? No!

Tadase, Yaya, and Kairi were already in the gym. It took all Kairi had to hold back Yaya from attacking our food supply, as we protected it possessively. Hey, we'd spent a whole school day on that! They weren't just gonna get gobbled up by Yaya!

Tadase was a worrywart. Seriously. Or maybe perfectionist. Every frill, in his opinion, need to twirl at a certain angle. Every ornament, he believed, had to be placed in a good fengshui position. Heck, the arrangement of the desks needed to form a lucky word! What was up with him and his worries? After an hour or so of work, finally, we gave up.

"Hotori-kun, I think we're fine," Nagihiko tried persuading him, as he started protesting about the angle of a table again. Tadase protested, but nonetheless proceeded to fix it on his own when no one helped. We all started retreating home, feeling rather (not) guilty of leaving Tadase by himself.

"Hotori-kun, just leave it. It'll be fine. Go home and shower and switch up," Nagihiko insisted. Tadase seemed to question Nagihiko's directions but followed them nonetheless. Everyone eventually split up, each returning home to get ready for the ball.

Mama came to pick me up. I smiled while I was on the car.

_I'm ready…for anything_…

_Or am I?_

* * *

"Rima, here!" Amu exclaimed, beckoning me over towards her in her prom outfit I'd helped her pick out. Already, she was helping out with some of the people who came early. Alright, I admit I was slightly late: I arrived at 8:30. FINE I WAS REALLY LATE. STOP GIVING ME THE GLARE MAKING ME FEEL GUILTY. Well, I couldn't help it!

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Rima! Didn't I say you needed an escort?" Mama exclaimed with an edge of accusation. I sighed._

"_But Mama, there's no one that I want to go with. They're all jerks." I knew Mama understood I had a lot of fan boys. Hopefully, she'd agree. Though a certain glint in her eye made me doubt myself._

"_How about that Fujisaki boy?" Mama hinted ever-so-casually. "He seems nice and polite, and not one of your fan-boy type," Mama said in a call-him-for-him-to-be-your –escort tone. I rolled my eyes, as a smile lit up on my face._

"_I can't Mama. He's already going with someone else," I pretended to look sad, so Mama would believe me. She sighed._

"_Alright then. But come home with someone, alright?" Mama said caringly. I smiled at her. The motherly care she gave wasn't always seen, and I was feeling rather warm. "Then I'll go get on my dress," I said, as Mama's eyes brightened up._

"_Dress? I need to see! Oh, my Rima-chan is growing up! Mama will help you with the make up and pedicure and hair and—"_

"_MAMA!"_

_Flashback End_

* * *

And that was what happened. So basically, I had to spend half-day putting on all that useless junk. As I approached Amu, she let out a gasp. "Rima…you look nice Really nice," she complimented sincerely. I smiled.

"You too. And Yaya," I said, complimenting her who was already snacking on the foods. Yaya looked up from her gobbling and smiled weakly, soon returning to her food.

"Are we interrupting?" a voice came from the side, as Amu, Yaya, and I turned to face the voices. We gaped.

The. Boys. Were. Frickin'—

…

What, did you expect me to say 'hot'? Sorry, but one of those 'boys' is the one I…hate. I hate. I hate. I hate h—him. I hate him. Course, I hate N—Na—Nagi—Nagi. I hate him.

Tadase was dressed up in a formal white tux with the edges frilled with a yellow-gold color. He was wearing a pale blue tie, matching with his outfit, actually looking rather…princely. Though I guess I won't say that word today for his sake.

Ikuto was in a black tux, though it seemed to be midnight blue, way darker than his hair. To even out his… 'darkness,' he was wearing a plain gray tie that seemed to fit him fine.

Kairi was in a plain black tux, like what I had expected him to wear. He was wearing a black bow as well instead of the usual tie.

Lastly, the boy I h—hate. _Nagihiko_ was wearing an awesome, die-for tux—PAUSE.

*breathe, exhale, breathe, exhale*

Alright. Nagihiko was wearing a slightly gray tuxedo, but he made it up with his midnight blue tie that looked—good on him. Neutral opinion.

"Tadase," Amu greeted friendlily, as the two exchanged a friendly smile. Ikuto soon swooped over, grabbing Amu by her waist.

"I'll be taking her away now," Ikuto said, grabbing her up against her will and pulling her away. We all laughed at that, as I looked at Nagihiko. He nodded, as he pulled out a recorder from his pocket and nodded, as I smiled.

"KAIRI-KOI!" Yaya exclaimed. "Yaya told you to not look so boring! Mou, mou! Why did you still?" Yaya complained, as Kairi desperately attempted to explain how he was wearing the traditional tuxedo. The two complained as they started drifting off, leaving me with Nagihiko and Tadase.

"So…where's Sasaki-san? Didn't you ask her?" I asked Nagihiko, trying to get a conversation going. Nagihiko shrugged.

"I didn't have a chance today. I couldn't find her. In fact, I don't know where she's been this last week. She's been gone from school," Nagihiko remarked. Tadase nodded too.

"We have to be careful. Oh, I think Souma-kun needs help with asking for the gift from everyone coming in. I'll go help him," Tadase remarked, walking off. I looked up at Nagihiko, who was smirking.

"I got it up," Nagihiko said, pulling out the recorder once more. Yes; I've put a recorder on Amu so anything that they said—or did—I could embarrass her with in the near future. Wow, am I evil.

"By the way, Rima-chan, where's your partner?" Nagihiko asked emotionlessly. I shrugged like I couldn't care less. "Decided against it. Cause if I have a partner, I certainly can't ditch. Though now, I can't anyways cause Amu and Yaya are watching." Nagihiko laughed when I said I wanted to ditch as I scowled. "By the way, where's Nadeshiko?" I asked. Nagihiko sighed.

"You know how she was supposed to follow my 'rules'?" Nagihiko asked rhetorically. I nodded, prodding him to continue. "Well, I changed my mind." Nagihiko stated. I blinked.

"Why? Where did all of your overprotective-brother-ness go?" I asked. Nagihiko shrugged.

"I saw Ryuu afterschool. He was also walking down the street. Suddenly, towards his right, he saw some young boys bullying a group of small girls. Well, he stood up for them and agreed to play with them for awhile, though that meant watching them play 'house' and dolls. I thought that maybe…I should give Nadeshiko the chance to try out things. Cause I won't always be around…" Nagihiko said ominously, as I smacked him on the shoulder.

"Hey, don't say so unlucky things, or things that sound unlucky, two days before Christmas." I scolded, as he laughed.

"Yeah." Suddenly, Utau's voice filled the gym.

"Hey everyone! How are you doin' at this wonderful Christmas Ball?" she asked. She was wearing a strapless black dress, layered at the bottom along with a red tight pice of cloth at her waist. The bottom was decorated with red shiny rims. Everyone cheered and whooped in response, as Utau let out a smile, a smile she only let out when in pure ecstasy; when she was having true fun, on the stage, making people happy.

"Alright then!" she exclaimed after the cheers died out. "We'll welcome the Christmas Ball with a starting off song! Remember, at intervals, I'll be choosing a song at the song request booth, so please request songs if you need to! This one's requested by me, for my boyfriend Souma Kuukai," Utau said affectionately, as the crowd 'awh'-ed. "Everyone, I give you He Could Be the One." Utau said, as the lights of the gym dimmed down except for the ones directed at the stage. An electric guitar strummed its strings as the sound filled the air.

_Smooth talkin', so rockin'  
__He's got everything that a girls' wantin'  
__Guitar cutie, he plays it groovy  
__And I can't keep myself from doin' somethin' stupid_

_Think I'm really fallin' for his smile  
__Yeah, butterflies when he says my name  
__Hey!_

_He's got somethin' special  
__He's got somethin' special  
__And when he's lookin' at me  
__I wanna get all sentimental._

_He's got something special  
__He's got something special  
__I can hardly breathe somethin's tellin' me  
__Tellin' me maybe he could be the one_

_He could be the one, he could be the one  
__He could be the one, he could be the one  
__He could be the one_

_He's lightnin', sparks are flyin'  
__Everywhere I go he's always on my mind and  
__I'm goin' crazy about him lately  
__And I can't help myself from how my heart is racin'_

_Think I'm really diggin' on his vibe  
__He really blows me away, hey!_

_He's got somethin' special  
__He's got somethin' special  
__And when he's lookin' at me  
__I wanna get all sentimental._

_He's got something special  
__He's got something special  
__I can hardly breathe somethin's tellin' me  
__Tellin' me maybe he could be the one_

_And he's got a way of makin' me feel  
__Like everything I do is perfectly fine  
__The stars are aligned when I'm with him  
__And I'm so into it!_

_He's got somethin' special  
__He's got somethin' special  
__And when he's lookin' at me  
__I wanna get all sentimental._

_He's got something special  
__He's got something special  
__I can hardly breathe somethin's tellin' me  
__Tellin' me maybe he could be the one_

_He could be the one, he could be the one  
__He could be the one, he could be the one  
__He could be the one_

The crowd erupted into cheers, as Utau attempted to talk above the woops. "Everyone, thank you for your participation! Remember there's a gift exchange at the end! Thank you, and I'll be performing for you in a while! Thank you for your support!" Utau exclaimed, walking off stage with people attempting to charge at her, yet a single glare from Kuukai who had walked over to Utau was enough to keep away any fan-boys from her.

"Well, that was nice," Nagihiko remarked. "It really fits them," he continued. I nodded. "Yeah, they're cute," I said, thinking of them together. It was nice, the picture. It filled me with…happiness that someone was happy. A couple was happy.

"Ah yes, Rima-chan, I almost forgot. Because you weren't willing to stand at the entrance to help with the taking of gifts, you're responsible for the Secret Santa booth," Nagihiko said, as I sighed tiredly. Seriously, taking gifts from everyone? Wasn't that just boring? I agreed doing so as I maneuvered through the crowd towards the booth, bringing along a plate of snacks with me. Taking a seat behind the booth labeled "SECRET SANTA – WE'LL DELIVER YOUR SECRET GIFTS," I settled down as Nagihiko took a seat next to me. I glared at him.

"What are you doing?" I hissed, as Nagihiko shrugged.

"I signed up for this too," he said innocently, as I opened my mouth and was empty of a comeback. Glaring at him to finish up the argument, I turned to face the crowd.

Basically, the booth worked like this: you take your gift or card and place it into a box. At intervals, members of us, the Guardians, would check and hand them out. This process made sure your gift or whatever was completely secretive. We kept watch of the box so no one would hack it or something. Also, there were cards available from us, drawn by Nadeshiko and her genius-brother, and of course, Chara-Changed Amu. One lucky girl: with four Charas that are good at everything you can be: sports, arts, domestic skills, and singing. Dargh. She seems Mary-Suey. But then again, she _is_ the heroine.

"M—Mashiro-san," a timid boy said, approaching me. I mustered up a smile. "Yes?" I asked politely, as he directed towards a card. I smiled, passing him a red card with a Santa Claus on the front. He smiled and walked off, thanking me. I sighed, leaning back in my seat.

"This is boring," I remarked, as Nagihiko turned his head towards me. He smiled and took my hand. I blushed at the contact between his skin and mine. His was soft for a guy, yet rough, probably due to basketball. Pulling me out of my chair, he walked towards the box and opened it up. Inside were a wonder of gifts and cards, all about to be given out. My eyes lightened up at the amount of gifts, as Nagihiko chuckled.

"The people's responses to these gifts is why I signed up for this," Nagihiko said, letting go of my hand to pick up the box, pushing another one there in place and nodding as Nadeshiko and Yaya slipped into the booth seats. "Come on, let's give these out," Nagihiko remarked, as I grabbed a card out. First stop: Yamada Hana. She was a girl in our grade.

After searching amidst the crowd and from a higher elevation, we finally found her and gave her a card addressed to her. Tentatively, she took the card from me and opened it up, at which she dropped the card. What did that bastard boy say to her that caused her to—

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" she exclaimed, her hands on her mouth as she exclaimed in surprise. "He asked me out!" she exclaimed to no one in particular, as Nagihiko smiled encouragingly. She excused herself and maneuvered through the crowd to locate whoever asked her out. I smiled. I really felt like Santa, giving out gifts of happiness to people. I turned towards Nagihiko who smiled. "Next?" he asked, as I pulled out a gift.

This went on for an hour. Locating people sure was hard. But the surprise on their faces, or joy, or happiness; it was worth it. Every gift I gave out, I felt like giving out a helping of joy. Every card I delivered, I felt like sending to others a package of warmth. No matter what I gave out, I truly felt happy that for once, everyone was happy. I grabbed the last card out.

"Alright, last one," I said, slightly tired yet excited for this. "It says…for…me," I finished, as Nagihiko leaned over to see. Curiously, I smiled at the cover. It was a Santa Claus laughing, grabbing his belly and leaning his head back, with a cartoon bubble saying "HO HO HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!" on it. I smiled at the cover. The person probably at least knew a bit I'd rather have something funny than serious, like a snowflake, or two bells, or a wreath. Opening up the card, I beamed.

There was a picture of me with all of the Guardians taped on. The names were all labeled, along with our Character Transformations. Tadase was being nuggied by Kuukai who was also ruffling Nadeshiko's hair. Ikuto was hugging onto Amu possessively. Yaya was clinging onto Kairi's arm while he looked rather flustered. I was glaring at Nagihiko who was rubbing his shin, probably since I kicked him. I smiled warmly and looked at the comment on the bottom.

_Friends forever, till the end. But our friendship will have no end! Merry Christmas, Rima!_

_FROM: the Guardians_

I smiled at the picture, while I turned towards Nagihiko. "You guys did this?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Well, I suggested it, cause she said you were looking slightly down these days, but everyone participated." I sighed, as Chika came back into mind, but I didn't want to ruin my good mood so I shrugged it off, turning back to the card. I smiled blissfully, cuddling it close to my chest and closed my eyes, savoring the moment.

"Thank you," I whispered to him, as I decided, I finally ran up to him and hugged him. I looked up and smiled at him thankfully, as he smiled back.

"Your welcome, Rima-chan," he said, as he took my hand. I looked at him with confusion. "Nagi…?" I asked, as he smiled.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, as I saw Utau at the corner of my eye preparing for her next song. I smiled, walking towards him.

"Sure," I said, as we stepped onto the dance floor, as I looked in his hazel eyes. I smiled.

Was I truly in love?

* * *

**Sigh...I feel...unsatisfied with this chapter. I feel like I kinda rushed it. Hope you'll find it alright. (: Now, back to homework! Yes, I got online just to udpate for you guys! Back to English analysis paper! (DARGHHHH. I came on so I could procrastinate that.)**

**By the way, I realized that though not a lot of people reviewed, a lot of people at least read my A Collection of Songs for the Soul. I'm presuming some of them are you. So thank you for those who read it!**

**And also, I have a quesiton. If I make a self-insert, will you guys kill me? I guess you guys will if I snatch Nagi for my OC/self-insert *readers attack Hope-chan mercilessly* Well, actually, I just want to post it cause I've tried. If I don't, I never write, and stories never get done. So...opinions? I'll write more...Kuutau...to make up...? Haha, I don't know. But your opinions please.**

**Besides that, thanks for your time!**

**~~*Hope-chan*~~**


	12. Chapter 12: The Dance of a Lifetime

**Hey everyone! It's not quite a late update. :D But I have news! Not quite good news, in your point-of-view.**

**I'll be going on a half-hiatus status.**

**Yes, sadly, that's the news. Now, half of you are (hopefully) complaining why Hope-chan is ditching her stories and oh-so-faithful reviewers. Well, I've got my reason! Here they are:**

**1. My grades. They're dropping. NOT good. That can't happen. Gotta catch up!  
2. Need time to take a rest...I need inspiration, especially for Sealed Memories.  
3. I'm attempting to finish my Xth draft of an OC-centric story. So far, I've gone through at least seven failed copies. Wish me luck.**

**And sadly, my Rimahiko passion is dying out. Probably because it's just the same plot line I'm writing in different ways. But no worries; I'll (almost, just in case I do) NEVER disconnect a story. I know it's very annoying. I'll at least give it a crappy ending and edit it some time 20 years later. Also, after my 'break,' I'll be starting Sealed Memories. So, all readers, your half-a-year's worth of Rimahiko from Hope-chan has been guarenteed.**

**Alright! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! or Fall for You by Secondhand Serenade and Love Story by Taylor Swift. I partially own Tonight's Last Dance. The lyrics, specifically.)**

* * *

**Chapter 12:**** The Dance of a Lifetime**

_He took my hand. I looked at him with confusion. "Nagi…?" I asked, as he smiled._

"_May I have this dance?" he asked, as I saw Utau at the corner of my eye preparing for her next song. I smiled, walking towards him._

"_Sure," I said, as we stepped onto the dance floor, as I looked in his hazel eyes. I smiled._

_Was I truly in love?_

* * *

It probably wasn't a coincidence that the moment Nagihiko and I stepped onto the dance floor, Utau announced she was picking a requested song. And it probably wasn't a coincidence that Kuukai whispered something into her ear at which she smirked (resembling like Ikuto a bit _too_ much for her own good). And it _definitely_ wasn't a coincidence that Utau's hand moved around in the request box for a _long_ time…as if _looking for something _before picking a paper out 'randomly.' She turned toward the band as they shrugged, probably okay-ing the song. Utau stepped onstage, adjusting the microphone to a suitable height.

"Is everyone having fun?" she exclaimed as the cheers from the crowd echoed throughout the gym. Utau smirked at me and Nagihiko and I gulped nervously, wondering what song she'd chosen. "Alright! Well, I've just _randomly_ drawn a request song, so here, one of the band members here will give you Fall for You."

**(A/N: I know I usually try to not add A/N's in the middle of stories, but I JUST GOTTA ADD IT HERE! Okay. If you've read my ****A Collection of Songs for the Soul****, then you're probably thinking: why is Hope-chan using the same song for two stories? Is she so lazy? Truthfully—well, yeah, that's partially, but truthfully, ****Fall for You**** fits best to the situation, personally, in my opinion. But as an apology, I'll put an alternate song that'll still fit in perfectly with the plot at the end of this chapter for those who are disappointed in me. Alright? Thanks!)**

_The best thing 'bout tonight's that we're not fighting  
__Could it be that we have been this way before?  
__I know you don't think that I am trying  
__I know you're wearing thin down to the core_

Why does it seem like…this song is directed to me? Oh heck; with Utau and Kuukai and them fiddling with the Request Booth, there's a high possibility this song _is _directed to me. I listened to the lyrics as Nagihiko and I stepped into a simple waltz following the beat: one of his hands around my waist and the other holding one of my hands, while I had my other hand around his waist as well. Did I mention? Evidently not, cause I don't remember. Ah well. I'll tell you: I'm wearing (cursed) high heels. Blame Mama. Don't look at me. I said, stop looking at me! But at least with the high heels, I didn't have to reach up for Nagihiko's waist. He and I actually didn't look like a couple with so much of a height difference.

…

PAUSE.

We don't even look like a couple!

The song was soothing. I'd heard of it before. The first line, I couldn't help but smile at. Him and I were certainly not fighting tonight. _Could_ it have been like this before: him and me, co-existing in the same room, without a single insult, or complaint, or argument thrown across the room? Perhaps…though all of those fights have blurred my memory.

Nagihiko…is he really trying to be my friend? No, of course not; he just wants to get my trust. And then—and then? And then? What'll he do with my trust? Crush me? Perhaps. But will he?

He seriously _is_ wearing me down to my core.

_But hold your breath  
__Because tonight will be the night  
__That I will fall for you over again  
__Don't make me change my mind_

I realized I was holding my breath, in an attempt to listen to the lyrics closely. F—fall for me? Or I fall for him? Perhaps…I have already fallen for him. No one will change my mind, well, perhaps no one except Nagihiko.

_Or I won't live to see another day  
__I swear it's true  
__Because a girl like you is impossible to find  
__You're impossible to find_

Alright, _that's_ a bit too far. I'm NOT gonna commit suicide if Nagihiko re—rejects me or something. On second thought, the song seems to be talking about Nagihiko…

Though that's just assuming.

_This is not what I intended  
__I always swore to you I'd never fall apart  
__You always thought that I was stronger  
__I may have failed, but I have loved you from the start_

Yes. I _did _think he was stronger. He was always taking care of us, either obviously or in the dark. I saw a lot of times: he'd slip something sweet into Amu's lunchbox when she was in a grouchy mood, or he'd 'unintentionally' crash into someone who had gotten Yaya angry, or he'd place a gift in _my_ bag, saying it was from a fan-boy. He did all these things us, yet keeping in the dark. I thought he was strong. Unbreakable.

He hasn't failed. He hasn't failed me. No, Nagihiko, you haven't failed me. That's what I want to say, but he'll probably just think I'm going crazy.

This song must be reading my mind.

Yet the last line doesn't fit our situation.

Does it?

_Oh, but hold your breath  
__Because tonight will be the night  
__That I will fall for you over again  
__Don't make me change my mind_

_Or I won't live to see another day  
__I swear it's true  
__Because a girl like you is impossible to find  
__You're impossible to find_

_So breathe in so deep  
__Breathe me in, I'm yours to keep  
__And hold on to your words 'cause talk is cheap  
__And remember me tonight when you're asleep_

I'm breathing. I'm breathing in deep. I can smell the smell of him: slightly floral, slightly of cologne, slightly of the cold winter air. Do I sound like a smelling pervert? Perhaps.

I'm afraid to talk. I'm afraid something I don't want to say will be let loose. I'm afraid he'll tease me about my words till I finally give in. No, I won't talk. I can't. I'm afraid.

Though tonight, I'll definitely remember in my mind.

_Because tonight will be the night  
__That I will fall for you over again  
__Don't make me change my mind_

_Or I won't live to see another day  
__I swear it's true  
__Because a girl like you is impossible to find_

_Tonight will be the night  
__That I will fall for you over again  
__Don't make me change my mind_

_Or I won't live to see another day  
__I swear it's true  
__Because a girl like you is impossible to find  
__You're impossible to find_

We finished our slow dance, as he bowed to me and I managed a rigged curtsy. I looked up and saw him smiling at me. It must have been the atmosphere; it must have been the atmosphere; it MUST have been the atmosphere.

Blink. He's smiling at me.

Blink. He's kissing me.

It all happened in a blur. Before I knew it, I felt his (now) familiar lips on mine once more, soft and tender, yet demanding. It probably was the atmosphere—it DEFINITELY was the atmosphere—that I started kissing him back. We were in the middle of exchanging saliva and his tongue was about to enter my mouth when I probably realized what I was doing. I kissing my supposed-to-be-my enemy! I was kissing someone who liked someone else! My eyes snapped open as I immediately drew back from the kiss. I stole one glance at him: confusion. Utter confusion…and curiosity as to why I drew back. I mumbled some incoherent words under my breath and turned around, stumbling through the crowd, as I heard him call my name. But I couldn't respond. I ran. I ran away from him. It was too much. Too many thoughts were swarming in my mind.

I found a quiet place: the gym supplies storage closet. The gym supplies had been pushed to the side and we placed extra juice and soda bottles there. I snuck in and crawled into a ball form, except I didn't cry. There was no reason to cry. I just needed some peace and silence to think.

Why.

Why is why such a hard question to answer. I truly don't know why. Why did Nagihiko kiss me? Why did I kiss him back? Why does Nagihiko like Chika? Why did Nagihiko kiss me previously today? Why—why—why was Nagihiko so hard to read? Why was I myself so hard to understand?

Why is this all so confusing?

* * *

I opened my eyes and realized I'd taken a short nap. Groggily, I looked around for a clock but soon realized there's no reason to place a clock in the storage room. I looked around, sighing from the sleeping fatigue, but managed to stand up. I wasn't going to think about them anymore, seeing I couldn't think of anything straight about my questions.

I stumbled out of the small room to see the ball starting to enter 'romantic phase,' meaning it's getting late, the songs are getting slower, the people who have needed to confess have confessed, and Yaya switched some of the lights off.

Yup: the lights _definitely_ signalized 'romantic phase.'

I checked around for a clock on how long I'd slept. Darn. I slept for two whole hours! Everyone was probably panicking, looking for me. Wonder why they didn't come to pick up drinks.

"RIMA-CHII!" Yaya exclaimed from behind me, as I turned around and saw her. I smiled weakly through she glomped me the moment she was in jumping-on-Rima and landing-on-her radius. Soon after, everyone else found me too.

"Rima! You really got us worried!" Amu exclaimed, as I smiled weakly. "G—gomen, minna," I managed. For a split moment, I caught Nagihiko's gaze. Hurriedly, I turned away from him, a slight blush that I could feel spreading on my cheeks.

"Ne, Rima-chii! Yaya saw you kissing someone!" Yaya said mischievously, as I glared at her in an attempt to get her shut up and not say anything. Evidently, my glares weren't threatening enough, her radars were on low signal, or she was simply sugar high, which is what I vote for.

"RIMA-CHII AND NAGI-KUN, IN A GYM, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Yaya exclaimed, as everyone turned towards me, either amazed, shocked, or teasing me.

"Rima! Seriously? Awhhh, that's cute," Amu remarked. I froze. I really didn't know what to do. My questions from earlier flooded into my mind.

"I regret!" I exclaimed, as everyone watched me out of shock. "I wasn't supposed to kiss him! I blame myself! I hate myself for kissing him! I wasn't supposed! Why did I kiss him back? Why did he kiss me? Why are you always playing with me?" I exclaimed, pointing a finger accusingly at Nagihiko, as I felt tears stream down my cheeks. "You like Sasaki-san! Then stop raising my hopes just to crush me in the near future! Stop playing with me! I—I HATE YOU FUJISAKI NAGIHIKO!" I exclaimed loudly. Thank _goodness_ Kuukai was near the DJ and told him to pick a super loud and very upbeat song. Also, thank goodness we were in a rather secluded area. Not very many people heard…hopefully. I wiped the tears on my eyes, as Amu approached to give me a hug, but I slapped her hand away.

"Ju—just leave me alone!" I exclaimed, running off again. After I knew I'd lost them, I crawled back into the storage room. Unscrewing a Coke bottle, I swallowed a fourth of the 1.25L black liquid in one gulp. I was attempting to get drunk from Coke, so I could forget all of my worries. Now I know why people drink alcohol. To forget. To relieve stress.

I guess Coke will have to replace alcohol for now. I took another gulp, bringing the black liquid's level down to half of the bottle. It was much lighter already, holding the big bottle, as I searched for a comfortable corner. I lied down, my eyes already drooping threateningly close, as I sighed. I closed my eyes.

Fujisaki Nagihiko…who are you to me?

* * *

I forgot one thing. When you drink a lot of Coke, you need to let it out. And how? By going to the bathroom. I slept for about 30 minutes and then woke up, needing to go to the restroom. Sneaking out of the room so no one would discover my sanctuary, I maneuvered throughout the crowd to exit the gym building and walked towards the bathroom.

Quickly finishing my business, I swiftly made my way back to the gym. The darkness outside was frightening. I _definitely_ needed someone to accompany me back home. I was about to enter my hiding room once more when I felt a hand on my wrist.

"I _knew_ you'd still be in the gym," the voice said. Oh, how I hate the voice. How I hate _him_. _Him._ _He_ made me so confused. What does _he_ want?

"I—I'm sorry," _he _stammered, releasing my wrist. I didn't turn around, instead standing there with my back towards _him_. "For?" I asked. "There's nothing to be sorry about. Everything's my fault," I said. It's all my fault.

"No, it isn't. I was too rushed. I—I'm sorry. I really am. Oh yes," _he_ said, taking something from somewhere and slightly pushing it towards my back. "This is yours. From the gift exchange," _he_ added, as I shrugged, taking the gift but not looking at _him_. Quickly unwrapping the wrapper, I found a nice keychain of a delicate snowflake. I slipped it around my finger and slightly spun it.

"Anything else you'd like to say?" I asked _him_. _He_ shrugged.

"The 'Mistletoe Corner' will be starting soon. Don't you want to oversee it?" _he_ asked. I shrugged this time.

"Perhaps," I said, walking towards the 'Mistletoe Corner," or where it was intended to be, with my back still to Nagihiko. I couldn't see his face now. I seriously regretted saying I regret…I seriously regretted all of this. I hated myself even more now.

"Alright everyone!" Utau exclaimed over the intercom. "We're opening up a 'Mistletoe Corner' now, everyone! It'll be at the left corner upon entrance of the gym! Yes, if you're single, you'd better go check it out! I guarantee I'll give you the perfect partner!" Utau exclaimed enthusiastically. "My last dance you'll be needing a partner, so get one there if you haven't one already!" Utau exclaimed, stepping off of the stage and letting the music continue.

I sighed, reaching the 'Mistletoe Corner.' It was actually really easy. There was a room, which was in reality Gym Supplies Storage Room B on the other side of the room of the other one, where we placed mistletoes on the roof everywhere. We'd let ten or twenty students go in once, and they randomly walk around. Finally, when we say 'stop,' they open their eyes and see their partner under the mistletoe. If it's of the opposite gender, you need to kiss him/her under the mistletoe in front of everyone and it'd be a good start if you want to dance with him for the last dance. If you were of the same gender…you could try again if you wanted to.

It was actually really amusing. Everyone was blushing and red-cheeked and slightly embarrassed. Some people didn't want to kiss whoever they were 'paired' with; others simply needed the push that we gave. I'm glad to say 'Mistletoe Corner' has turned out to be extremely successful.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE!" Utau exclaimed loudly into the microphone. "It's time for the last song! Grab a partner!" she exclaimed. "This song is made up by yours truly, me. I hope you'll enjoy Tonight's Last Dance!" I sighed. I didn't want to dance. I wasn't in the mood. Subtly , I slipped into a corner and watched all the blushing couples, awkward glances, yet, of course, the blissful smiles. Kairi was hesitantly following Yaya's random dance moves, while Ikuto was attempting to embarrass an already strawberry-red Amu. Even Kuukai dragged Utau around while Utau sang with a headset.

It was nice seeing everyone in love.

(**A/N: The following song is to the melody of Fall for You. Yeah, I know; I'm so lame, using the same song twice in the same chapter. But I took time making up the lyrics! Some places might seem a bit rocky, but overall, I've tried. Sing to yourself!)**

_Tonight will be the night we'll all remember  
__Least I definitely shall and won't forget.  
__Won't forget your touch making me tremble  
_'_bout the night that I will never regret_

_But take a step  
B__ecause tonight will be the night  
__That I will be dancing with only you  
__With me you'll dance tonight._

_You and I shall waltz 'cross the dance floor  
__I know we will  
__Now would you take my hand for tonight's very last dance  
__For tonight's very last dance._

_Tomorrow you might forget this  
__You might think of it as something merely for fun  
__You might think you were being foolish  
__You might think that yesterday's already done._

_Oh, but take a step  
__Because tonight will be the night  
__That I will be dancing with only you  
__With me you'll dance tonight._

_You and I shall waltz 'cross the dance floor  
__I know we will  
__Now would you take my hand for tonight's very last dance  
__For tonight's very last dance._

_So take this last chance  
__Take a step, we can both dance  
__And hold onto my hand 'cause I'll be there  
__I'll be right there holding you gently with care_

_Because tonight will be the night  
__That I will be dancing with only you  
__With me you'll dance tonight._

_You and I shall waltz 'cross the dance floor  
__I know we will  
__Now would you take my hand for tonight's very last dance_

_Tonight will be the night  
__That I will be dancing with only you  
__With me you'll dance tonight._

_You and I shall waltz 'cross the dance floor  
I know we will  
Now would you take my hand for tonight's very last dance.  
For tonight's very last dance._

Everyone applauded loudly for Utau's singing, as I smiled weakly at her, who stole a glance across the room before turning her attention back to Kuukai. Silently, I sighed, stumbling out of the gym, as a tear slipped down my cheek.

I'd missed tonight's last dance.

...

...

...

Not like I really cared.

* * *

Alternate Song for Rima and Nagihiko (instead of Fall for You)

_Utau stepped onstage, adjusting the microphone to a suitable height._

"_Is everyone having fun?" she exclaimed as the cheers from the crowd echoed throughout the gym. Utau smirked at me and Nagihiko and I gulped nervously, wondering what song she'd chosen. "Alright! Well, I've just randomly drawn a request song, so here, one of the band members here will give you_ Love Story_."_

* * *

Hey, I knew that song!

_We were both young when I first saw you  
__I close my eyes and the flashback starts  
__I'm standing there  
__On a balcony in summer air_

That was ironic. Nagihiko and I _were_ both rather young when we first me: all the way back 6th grade. Funny how that seems so far back now, yet seems to close, just like yesterday. Am I sounding like an old sage? Perhaps a bit.

Closing my eyes, I remember that day. I met him. I glared at him dangerously to stay away from Amu, who was my 'best friend.' I wasn't 'about to let some pre-best friend's twin brother come and steal away my best friend!' Now that I think about it, it's rather funny.

I listened to the lyrics as Nagihiko and I stepped into a simple waltz following the beat: one of his hands around my waist and the other holding one of my hands, while I had my other hand around his waist as well. Did I mention? Evidently not, cause I don't remember. Ah well. I'll tell you: I'm wearing (cursed) high heels. Blame Mama. Don't look at me. I said, stop looking at me! But at least with the high heels, I didn't have to reach up for Nagihiko's waist. He and I actually didn't look like a couple with so much of a height difference.

…

PAUSE.

We don't even look like a couple!

AND HA! There's no balcony! No summer! But—wait, darn it. There was this once when he was helping me sneak out of my house that my parents had completely locked up when they went on their business trip so we could go on a Guardians' trip to the beach. Yet that was totally irrelevant, right?

_See the lights  
__See the party, the ball gowns  
__See you make your way through the crowd  
__And say hello, little did I know_

Anddddd, evidently, no. The ball that the beach house's owner held was beautiful. I still remember it. The lights, lighting up and reflecting on the summer ocean. The elegant flowing gowns various woman and ladies were wearing.

As usual, Nagihiko was a rather center of attention.

And as usual, after a while of chatter, he made his way through the crowd to say hi to me.

_That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles  
__And my daddy said stay away from Juliet  
__And I was crying on the staircase  
__Begging you please don't go, and I said_

He, my Romeo? Pshhh, that must be some sort of lame joke. I'm not some snobby rich girl who's waiting on the balcony for her forbidden love to come rescue her. I'm not that dependant on men yet.

Though I can imagine Papa protesting anyone who approached to stay away from me.

And me, crying because Nagihiko was leaving? That wasn't possible.

I only c—cried once when he left, but that was because he left me in the middle of a scary movie! It was scary!

_Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone  
__I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run  
__You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
__It's a love story, baby just say yes_

The Romeo in the story sounds like the typical Prince Charming. Though to be truthful, I won't mind living a life like that: clichéd, dull, yet charming and sweet. Nothing's sweeter than your Prince Charming rescuing you, is there?

_So I sneak out to the garden to see you  
__We keep quiet cause we're dead if they knew  
__So close your eyes  
__Escape this town for a little while_

Alright, I admit I've snuck out of the house numerous times after that. But it wasn't to see Nagihiko! It was to see the whole gang. Fine, they set us up once: meeting in the park when they 'ditched and stalked us instead.' Course, we kept quiet, cause we'd be dead if anyone heard us. My house was still a relatively close distance.

We lied down on the grass, counting the stars in the sky, as both of us temporarily escaped our town life.

_Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter  
__And my daddy said stay away from Juliet  
__But you were everything of me  
__I was begging you please don't go and I said_

_Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone  
__I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run  
__You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
__It's a love story, baby just say yes_

_Romeo save me, they're tryin' to tell me how to feel  
__This love is difficult, but it's real  
__Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess  
__It's a love story baby just say yes  
__Oh oh_

Yes. That's what I'd say. Romeo, please come and save me. Someone, MY Romeo, please come and save me. I'm suffering; suffering. Not love…or maybe love…maybe true love I've never experienced. Someone, please, Romeo, or Prince Charming, or even the Frog Prince, come save me. Help me out of this turmoil of love and mess.

_I got tired of waiting  
__Wondering if you were ever coming around  
__My faith in you is fading  
__When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said_

Certainly, that's me now. I'm tired of waiting for my 'the one' to come around. My faith _is_ weakening. I'm starting to give up on him. I looked up into Nagihiko's eyes.

"Rima-chan?" he asked. "You've been zoning off for awhile. Something wrong?" he asked, with hints of care, curiosity, and warmth coating his eyes and voice. I whispered the lyrics to him.

_Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone  
__I keep waiting for you but you never come  
__Is this in my head? I don't know what to think  
__He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said,_

He smirked, as he sang the next lyrics out.

_Marry me Juliet  
__You'll never have to be alone  
__I love you and that's all I really know  
__I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress  
__It's a love story baby jus say yes_

_Oh, oh,  
__Oh, oh_

Both of us sang the last lyric in sync:

_Cause we were both young when I first saw you…_

* * *

_We finished our slow dance, as he bowed to me and I managed a rigged curtsy. I looked up and saw him smiling at me. It must have been the atmosphere; it must have been the atmosphere; it MUST have been the atmosphere._

_Blink. He's smiling at me._

_Blink. He's kissing me._

* * *

**ALRIGHT! I'm feeling like Rima's getting a tad tad tad OOC as my story's progressing. Or maybe that's because I don't know how she acts when she grows up. Oh well. *shrugs* Tell me if you think she's getting more and more OOC. I'll try to correct it--thinking about it over my break!**

**Alright! See you guys half a month later!**

**~~*Hope-chan*~~**

**PS: I own Tonight's Last Dance (lame) lyrics. The melody goes completely to Fall for You by whoever-composed-the-melody (is it Secondhand Serenade?)**

**PPS: I FORGOT TO SAY! Excuse me for the minor Amu-bashing a few chapters (or maybe one chapter) back. I was trying to expres my feelings about Amu being the, in my opinion, most undeveloped character in Shugo Chara! Now, I'll stop my rant. I can PM you about it though ;)**

**Sorry for all Amu fans! And...Amuto I guess. Though I guess they're no Amuto fans reading this...cause it's primarily (and basically only) Rimahiko.**


	13. Chapter 13: Christmas' Chika

**And I'm...BACK. Are you happy? Hopefully. And I have a suspicion my writing will have changed. Cause in English class, we were just required to write a short story with deeper hidden meanings. Excuse all OOCness in this chapter, but please tell me anyways. I gotta get back into mood.**

**I'll hopefully be starting Sealed Memories soon if I don't slack off. *sigh Also, my grades have kinda gone up. Yay!! I might be able to handle getting back on FanFic again. But unluckily for you guys, my midterms are next week. BOO. I might update next Saturday after the midterms.**

**And I'd say you guys are lucky. About three days after I announced my hiatus status, my computer broke down. T.T But I got it fixed like one week or so ago. But I had to restart everything, like redownload iTunes, MSN, etc. Boy, that was annoying.**

**And this 'how-my-life-is-going' crap is getting a bit long, but one last thing! You know Rima Can't Spell by Tsuki no Kimi (I apologize if I spelled your name wrong, Tsuki no Kimi) and Meet Nadeshiko by WantingFreedom (pretty sure I spelled that right) are really long, right? Would you rather me write one story long like those or multiple shorter stories? Though I can't promise they'll all be Rimahiko...as I said, the passion's dying. Though I've picked up some of it during my break.**

**Alright, that's it!**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! in any way. Sadly)**

**PS: Just in case you guys wanted to know, my Xth OC-centric draft has also joined its X number of sisters and brothers in the Recycle Bin. I have an official admiration for people succesful in this area. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 13:**** Christmas' Chika**

_Everyone applauded loudly for Utau's singing, as I smiled weakly at her, who stole a glance across the room before turning her attention back to Kuukai. Silently, I sighed, stumbling out of the gym, as a tear slipped down my cheek._

_I'd missed tonight's last dance._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_Not like I really cared._

* * *

Frankly, I don't live a life of a beautiful fantasy. Life shoots me troubles at times, gives me faults so I'm imperfect, and I fail all the day. No clichés in my life, at least not too many. You can't blame Fate when it places things in such a way.

Yet right now, I'm definitely not living a clichéd life. In those cheesy movies, the guy and the girl's eyes shyly meet across the dance room. Then, the guy sucks up his guts and asks her onto the dance floor, as they fall into each other's eyes, embrace, and world. Then, the last dance would end, the guy would peck the girl's lips, and everything would live happily-ever-after.

Yet me?

No guy, no last dance, no peck on the lips, no happily-ever-after.

Sometimes I wonder if Life hated me.

Stumbling out of the gym, I didn't go far. My high heels were harder to run in than I'd thought so. I had to slightly hold my dress up to make sure I wouldn't trip over myself. I didn't go far; I ran out of breath, sad to say, a few meters away from the gym. Slouching down and leaning on a beautiful maple tree, I sighed tiredly, placing my head on the trunk. Screw my hair. I knew it'd get stuck with the splinters on the bark later, but those were of my least concerns.

Love. Frankly, this seemed like what was on everyone's minds these days. Love. Or like, in their opinion, perhaps. Like. Who do you like? Who are you going out with? Did so-and-so cheat on who-and-who? Why? Why?

Why? Why could I not understand Love? Sure, Shakespeare and those English-British literature crap folks couldn't understand either, so they compared them to similes (yes, I've been listening in World Literature). Sure, even Mom and Dad don't understand. Or else they'd probably divorced by now. I bet Kuukai and Utau and Amu and Ikuto and Yaya and Kairi don't understand a thing either. Love…is just there. You can't explain what Love is. Love would be different to different people. Perhaps it's like the sweetest of honeys, or the bitterest of medicines. It's Care, and Compassion, and Like, and even Hate mixed together in this mysterious, impalpable solution called Love.

Love…

This is probably the closest I'll get to being a philosopher.

* * *

"Rima-chan, time to get up!" KusuKusu exclaimed the next morning. I vaguely remembered stumbling up from my ball-shape and hailing a taxi to go home by myself. Mama got angry, but she soon shrugged it off, probably because she saw how tired I was. When I'd gotten home, I'd unlocked the door, slammed my belongings onto the ground, stomped upstairs, quickly took a shower and collapsed into my bed, headfirst. I remembered muttering goodnight to KusuKusu and immediately losing conscious.

I sighed tiredly, as I reached onto my end desk for my cell phone to check the time. My alarm clock broke the last time I chucked it halfway across the room. I opened my cell phone lid and realized I was bombarded with messages.

_From: Amu!! at 2:03  
_**rima, where r u? we gotta clean up, the balls over! get ur lazy butt over! ;)**

_From: YAYA at 2:05  
_**rima-tan, where r u? amu-chan's getting angry!! yaya wants the leftover candy but amu-chan's not giving! humph!**

_From: UtAu at 2:10  
_**srsly, rima, get ur butt over. amu's getting worried, she's glomping all of yaya's sweets**

_From: YAYA at 2:11  
_**RIMA-TAN GET OVER NOW AMU'S STEALING ALL MY CANDIES CAUSE YOU RNT HERE!**

_From: UtAu at 2:16  
_**im sending ikuto out to stalk for you**

_From: Ikuto at 2:20  
_**srsly shrimp, come out of ur hidin place to make both our lives easier, plz**

_From: UtAu at 2:25  
_**even ikuto's failed…rima, i'm sending out him AND yaya charged up with sugar power**

_From: YAYA at 2:28  
_**RIMA-TAN! YAYA CAN'T FIND YOU! COME OUTTTTTTTT**

_From: Ikuto at 2:30  
_**ur good at hide n seek…but we give up. come out, plz shrimp**

_From: AMU!! at 2:35  
_**RIMA! WHERE ARE YOU?? STILL IN THE GYM? LOST? KIDNAPPED?!?!?!?!?! I'M CALLING THE POLICE!!**

_From: cross-dresser at 2:38  
_**Rima-chan, don't worry, we've calmed down Amu-chan. But seriously, where are you? She's worried for you.**

Crap. Crap this all, I say. Gosh, couldn't anyone predict I'd gone home by myself? Sheesh.

_From: Rima_ _at 10:08  
_**guys, im fine. i went home early. srry for ditching.**

_Sent to: AMU!!, YAYA, UtAu, Ikuto, cross-dresser_

I stared at the label I'd given Nagihiko, even on my cell phone. But I'm not calling him that as often as before, I've noticed. Perhaps…

My hands clicked onto my cell phone.

_New label saved: Nagihiko_

Perhaps that'll suit him for now.

* * *

"RIMA-CHAN!" Amu exclaimed early on Monday morning. She wasn't even caring about keeping up her cool 'n spicy act. She literally glomped me Monday morning. It's completely possible, seeing my (I'm unwilling to admit but) petite…figure.

"IwassoworriedsickwheretheheckwereyouRimai'mseriouslynoteverletingyououtofmy—" I cut her off before her ramblings got loud and regret it later in her life. Calmly, I dragged her into the girl's bathroom.

"Amu, I'm fine. I went home early, that's all. Now, where's the cool n spicy Amu we all know and love?" I said playfully. Amu slightly sniffed and straightened up.

"Wh—what are you talking about? I never left!" Amu exclaimed, huffing and crossing her arms. I couldn't help but suppress my laughter. Amu's façade sure was slowly falling. Her real self: worrisome and nervous, was slowly being shown to the world.

And me? I guess I'm laughing a bit more…

"Let's go to class," Amu remarked, as I nodded and the two of us exited the bathroom and walked to our classrooms. Inhale, exhale, inhale, hold breath, head up high, solemn face…

And enter.

"MASHIRO-SAN, WHERE WERE YOU FOR THE LAST DANCE?"

"MASHIRO-SAN, DO YOU KNOW WHO WAS DANCING WITH HINAMORI-SAN?"

"MASHIRO-SAN, I WANTED TO DANCE WITH YOU!"

And etc. Sometimes I wonder if they don't get tired just from yelling our names. Calmly, Amu and I took our seats and Nikaidou-sensei came in.

And tripped, like usual.

And then the class laughed.

Everything seems the same.

* * *

"The Christmas Ball seemed like an overall great success. I'd like to congratulate each of you," Tadase said at the Guardians meeting afterschool. Seriously, these meetings are getting slightly boring. It's a good thing I know all of my fellow Guardian members or else I'd seriously be bored to death.

"Yo." Pause.

"Ikuto-nii-san, what are you doing here?"

"EHH? COSPLAY-NEKO-HENTAI!"

"Ehh, Tsukiyomi?"

Eh? Kuukai?

"Eh? Kuukai?" I said.

"Soccer boy?"

"Utau-chii!"

"Utau?"

"Utau-nee-san?"

"What?"

"Wait a sec…"

"Onii-chan!"

"Nadeshiko?"

"WHAT THE HECK IS EVERYONE DOING HERE?" Amu exclaimed real loud. Everyone turned to look at her as they shrugged innocently.

"We wanted to visit and participate in the celebration of the successful ball," Nadeshiko said in a 'duh' tone. I blinked. "There's a celebration?" I asked, as everyone nodded.

Wow. They must have decided yesterday while cleaning.

"Oh. We must have decided yesterday while cleaning, so Mashiro-san didn't hear," Tadase said reasonably. I nodded, and he did too and everyone started nodding.

Yeah, I know we're weird.

"LET'S GO THEN!" Kuukai exclaimed loudly, as he grabbed Utau's hand and they marched out of the Royal Garden. Everyone followed them out, as I walked beside Amu.

"Amu, where are we going?" I asked. _Please not Nagihiko's house, please not Nagihiko's house, PLEASE not Nagihiko's house_.

"We're going out to the mall to party for the whole entire day!" Amu exclaimed excitedly, as I beamed. Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes! YES.

* * *

Nonononononono. NO.

Conflicts arose when we arrived at the mall, probably cause the mall had everything. Utau wanted to go to karaoke, Kuukai wanted to go eat, Nagihiko wanted to go to the sports store, Ikuto wanted to go to the bar (though Utau whacked his head hard and shut him up), Yaya wanted to go to the pastries store, Nadeshiko wanted to go to the culinary store, Tadase wanted to take a rest near the fountains, Amu wanted to check out a newly opened that looked like her tastes, Kairi wanted to go to the internet café while I wanted to go to the bookstore to check out gag manga.

"Course we should go singing! Singing helps relieves stress and we all know singing is good for the soul!"

"Can't we go to the bar?" *whack* "N—never mind."

"YAYA WANTS SWEEETS!"

"I'd like to take a rest here, actually."

"My basketball just got lost. I need a new one."

"I'm hungry!"

"It's been twenty minutes and sixteen seconds since I've gotten online."

"That dark store there looks interesting."

"I'd like to check out some cooking utensils, since I just realized the school is much better stocked than our home."

"I WANT GAG MANGA!"

"It's so tiring, can't we take a rest?"

"SINGING!"

"I'm still hungry."

"SWEETS! YAYA NEEDS HER DAILY DOSE OF SUGAR!"

"Now, now, Yaya-chan, you've already had your sugar for today. Go with me to check out the culinary supplies won't you?"

"The ba—never mind."

We fought like this for about five minutes. After that, Tadase pointed out everyone was staring at us, so we quieted down and slipped into a café to: 1. get Kuukai something to eat, 2. get Yaya a cheesecake, and 3. listen to Tadase and take a rest.

"So, what are we going to do?" Amu asked, attempting to organize the day out. "We still need to go karaoke, buy gag manga, go to the sports store, the internet café, NOT the bar, and check out the new dark store down there," Amu said casually, 'unintentionally' emphasizing the last one. Nagihiko opened his mouth to speak when suddenly, we heard small squeaks.

"Amu-chan, Amu-chan!" Miki's voice came from outside the café. We turned to see that indeed, her face was stuck on the glass. "What the heck is this?" she exclaimed. Wow, and who knew Miki had a bad temper?

"It's called Mr. Glass~desu," Suu said. "Mr. Glass, excuse me~desu!" Suu exclaimed cheerfully. We couldn't help but sweat-drop at the scene.

"Bakas! Tell them about the X-Eggs already!" Yoru exclaimed. From behind, all of our Charas came floating by, excluding Nadeshiko since she didn't have a Chara. Temari was legally Nagihiko. Though I've heard that Nadeshiko's egg broke a while back. Wonder what happened. But it wasn't my place to probe into becaus—

"Rima, hurry!" Amu exclaimed, as she was already rushing out of the café. I blinked and shot up, KusuKusu on my side, as we rushed out of the café, out of the mall, to a desolate area in a park.

There wasn't a person in sight. That always bothered me. That meant everyone's egg turned into X-Eggs. That certainly wasn't good.

"Look out!" Amu exclaimed, as X-Eggs came ramming our way. We quickly dodged and all charanaried.

"Charanari – Platinum Royale!"  
"Black Lynx!"  
"Amulet Heart!"  
"Sky Jack!"  
"Lunatic Charm!"  
"Samurai Soul!"  
"Dear Baby!"  
"Beat Jumper!"  
"Clown Drop!"

Wow. That was a LOT of glittering and shining. Hate that about charanaries.

"Let's go, minna!" Amu exclaimed, as she…put on (?) her Heart Speeders and sped off in the sky. Ikuto leaped into the air and followed after her, as did Kuukai and Utau. Tadase, Kairi, and Yaya ran after Amu and the crowd, as I stared at the scene.

"Rima-chan?" Nagihiko's voice came from my side. I didn't turn to face him. My mind was fixed with one question.

Where the heck did the X-Eggs come from?

"Nightmare Lorelei!" Utau exclaimed, sending her fury of dark butterflies flying towards the X-Eggs to fight off their full-on charge.

"Crap, I'll help, Utau. Golden Victory Shoot!" Kuukai exclaimed, sending his golden shot through the sky, breaking through the wall of X-Eggs. Yet immediately the wall disappeared, more came and pressured us.

"Why the heck are there so many X-Eggs?" Amu declared. "I can't purify all of them like this," she insisted, as she constantly open-hearted hearts.

"There must be someone behind this…" Nagihiko muttered on the side, as he shot his attack over, trying to help keep the X-Eggs off. Amu consistently purified X-Eggs, but it seemed like they were…getting more?

"Rima, Nagi, you two stay here. The rest of us will attract the X-Eggs to somewhere more closed so they can't run around. Then I'll purify them at once. Stay here just in case the source of the X-Eggs pops out!" Amu exclaimed, as she sped off on her Heart Speeders, with the others following. Leaving me with Nagihiko standing on the open field, attempting to fight off the remaining X-Eggs.

"You can't purify them all even if you attract them away and purify those all at once," a familiar voice said from above. We turned our heads up to see…Chika? She was back in her Noir Diamond charanari, with her eyes ice cold though blood red, her face without a single emotion. She was virtually…dead?

"Chika-chan!" Nagihiko's voice came from my side. Chika looked at Nagihiko questioningly. She glared at him.

"Who are you?"

Nagihiko blinked. He blinked again. "Nagihiko. Fujisaki Nagihiko. We were friends when we were small. Do…you remember?" he asked hesitantly. Chika's eyes narrowed down some more, then turning towards me.

"I don't know. Get outta the way if you don't want to get caught up with my fight with this shortie here," Chika said.

Shortie?!?!

"Who ya calling shortie?!?!?!" I exclaimed. "Juggling Party!" I exclaimed, sending my pins towards her direction. "Dreading Diamonds," she muttered. Her attack was similar to last time, except along with the fury of black diamonds, a dark beam accompanied them on the way here. I dodged out of the way quickly, using my Tightrope Dancer to grab onto her arm. Yes!

"No," she muttered, as she swiftly used a dark diamond to cut the rope. What? And that was it? My Tightrope Dancer and Juggling Party were both seen through. How could I attack now?

Crap.

"Chika-chan, what are you doing?" Nagihiko attempted once more, trying to get some sense into her skull. "You weren't always like this, I know. Shizue was born to protect, not to hurt. Why are you hurting everyone?" he reasoned. Chika turned towards Nagihiko, and I SWEAR I saw a flicker of brown churn in her bloodshot eyes. But suddenly, the red engulfed it once more, as her eyes gleamed brighter than before.

"I must hurt…to protect," she announced. "Dreading Diamonds," she said again, as she attacked…Nagihiko?

"Blaze Shoot!" he exclaimed, nullifying the attack. "Chika-chan, are you even charanaried with Shizue?" he questioned. Chika didn't even flinch at the question. "Yes," she responded immediately, sending more of her attacks towards Nagihiko's direction.

"Chika-chan!" he exclaimed as a diamond jabbed into Nagihiko's shoulder. He bent down, wincing in pain as he put his free hand on his shoulder tried to assuage the pain. I couldn't help but intervene in the battle, even if I knew none of my attacks worked on her.

"Why the heck are you hurting _your_ friend?" I exclaimed, jabbing my finger straight at her. "Who the heck do you think you are?" To be truthful, I wasn't expecting a response. I just wanted to delay and get some time for Nagihiko to think of some genius line and her brain gets knocked back alive. But when I'd exclaimed that, suddenly, all the noise seemed to disappear and she stopped her attacks, along with control over the X-Eggs.

Chika remained silent. I could almost hear Nagihiko's deep heaves. Finally, she closed her eyes and sighed, raising her hand, commanding the X-Eggs to prepare to attack. She opened her mouth to speak.

"I am Sasaki Chika, heiress to the Christmas Company."

* * *

**Dun dun dunnnn~~alright, never mind, it's not that much of a cliff-hanger. Right? I'm trying to actually get Charas back into this. Alright, opinion-time. Should Rima get another Chara? I know a lot of people gave Rima another Chara, but I'm afraid I'll make it cliched and like someone else's story if I give her a similar Chara (like a Chara that represents her desire to be a star, or be more capable). But I'm not gonna give her a Chara about her feelings with Nagihiko. I think that just gets confusing, in my opinion. And I'm too lazy to think too much.**

**So, opinions? Reviewers...I missssssed you!! :)**

**Hope you liked it!**

**~~*Hope-chan*~~**


	14. Chapter 14: VS Christmas

**Chapter 14:**** VS Christmas**

_"I am Sasaki Chika, heiress to the Christmas Company."_

* * *

…

…

…

Eh?

"Christmas Company?" Nagihiko voiced out my thoughts. "What's that?" he questioned rather…plainly for the situation. The dark aura Chika donned slightly dimmed as she closed her eyes.

"Easter has fallen," she stated clearly. "A new force is wanting of the Embryo," she mentioned, at which Nagihiko and my ears perked up at the mention of that term. Embryo? It still existed?

"We are Christmas," she said, the dark aura returning as she floated up higher into the air. "The Embryo shall be ours!" she exclaimed, her eyes suddenly blinking open as she shot another array of Dreaded Diamonds towards me and Nagihiko, along with commanding the X-Eggs to attack. Crap, this is getting harder. The longer this battle is delayed, the less chances we have of winning.

Where the heck were Amu and them?

"If you're wondering about your…_friends_," Chika stressed, "then never mind. They've got their hands full," Chika said, as she sent another wave of X-Eggs coming our direction. Argh, couldn't someone just destroy the Embryo so we can all live happily ever after? Geez!

"Blaze Shoot!" Nagihiko exclaimed, blocking off the wave. We didn't dare to break the X-Eggs. That isn't right…right? We supposedly had to wait for Amu to come along and purify the eggs. But when was she gonna come? The X-Eggs were gradually weakening us. We had to purify them, or trap them somehow!

"Tightrope Dancer!" I tried again. I managed to trap some X-Eggs…out of the millions (or seemingly so many) that were there.

"OPEN HEART!" I heard Amu's voice coming from a few hundred yards off. Hopefully, she just cleansed all of them at once.

"Seems like that rosette's skills haven't de-proved," Chika mumbled audibly. Nagihiko and I turned out heads towards her. "You know Amu? Previously?" Nagihiko asked. Chika shrugged.

"Nah. Heard from previous head of Easter. That dude," she said nonchalantly.

"Kazuomi?" Nagihiko asked. Chika nodded. Wait…they previously knew each other?

"Didn't Kazuomi give up on that already?" I asked no one in particular. Chika responded. "Yeah. Him and my father used to be good buddies. Then, he quit, and my father got mad. He moved his HQ here," Chika rambled.

Wait a sec…why was Chika suddenly acting all normal and divulging so much information? Did she suddenly trust us? Now that I think about it…her 'dark aura' seems to be fading. The X-Eggs are backing off.

"Rima, Nagi!" Amu's voice came from behind. We turned around to face our faces, with red faces and huffing deep breathes. I could feel Chika's glare intensify on them as she turned to leave.

"You guys are despicable," she said with her back towards us. "You purify when you don't even know what's going on to us. It's hilarious how you are the heroes when you don't even know what you're doing," she said, leaving us stunned. A moment after she jumped to leave, Nagihiko reacted.

"Wait!" Nagihiko called out. He used his Beat Jumper shoes and leaped high into the air, attempting to follow her. Tadase, Yaya, and the rest helped me trap the remainder X-Eggs and Amu purified them. Good; another job done.

"Think Nagi will catch up with her?" Amu asked. I shook my head.

"Doubt it."

* * *

"So you didn't catch up with her…" Amu remarked, as Nagihiko nodded sadly. Everything was getting a bit too confusing. What was going on?

"She always slips away somehow…" Nagihiko remarked. "I…I don't know what happened to her. She said she didn't recognize me. Where is Shizue?" he said to no one in particular. Amu sighed, patting his shoulder comfortingly. Everyone looked at him grimly.

"We should analyze the situation," Kairi, being the intellectual one…analyzed. "This time we won, but it was because she chose to retreat. If she really attacked us like that, they're a slim chance we'll win," Kairi said. We all nodded, contributing bits of information we had on her as Kairi took out his laptop that he somehow managed to bring everyone he went.

"She's Sasaki Chika, apparently heiress of some Christmas company," I said. Kairi nodded, as he searched online for what this Christmas Company was.

"Wow. Christmas is a famous enterprise for its high tech computers," Kairi said. "It's really modern and sells very good items," he continued. We all nodded. Having an opponent heiress to a famous company definitely didn't help.

"You know, towards the end, she started warming up," I remarked. "She was all mean to us, but then suddenly, she seemed to start telling us all these things. Like her father used to work with Hoshina-san. Your…not quite stepfather, Utau, not you," I added, as I saw Utau shooting me suspicious and puzzled looks.

"Somehow, I have a feeling it's not that deep," Kairi muttered. "Like she's not holding back much. And what she said about us…I don't know," he remarked. We nodded.

"I need to go," Tadase exclaimed, shooting up out of his chair. "It's almost time for dinner," he remarked, as we all realized it was getting pretty late. We dispersed, heading our own ways (with Amu being kidnapped by Ikuto). Nagihiko and I chatted for like 3 minutes.

"What do you think?" he asked me. "What do you think of Chika?" he questioned. I sighed, holding my bag.

"She's got her reasons. And she's not telling," I said. "It's sad to know we can't help."

We walked in silence for awhile. Something was slightly out of place…

"Though it's all your fault Purplehead. Just let her protect you so we can get this all over," I said. Ahh, that's me. Wow, it's like I have a split personality.

"Yeah…" he muttered, seemingly unconsciously. We reached the intersection of our homes. I stomped off without bidding him goodbye.

Though I swear I heard him say goodbye to me.

* * *

"Come on, Rima, Yaya!" Amu exclaimed, as we used our combo attacks together, trapping the X-Eggs. Amu purified them all at once as we finished yet another job.

"Finally," Amu remarked, de-charanari-ing. She slightly sighed, adjusting the X-clip located in her hair. "We gotta locate the source quickly," she said, as we nodded along. We were all tired of being called and ordered to appear immediately where the X-Eggs were.

"But recently, Chika isn't appearing with the X-Eggs." She had completely quit school as well. I think she didn't know Nagihiko was at that school, so she transferred. Now she knows…

BAM. She's gone.

"Well, there's only one last way," Yaya said, her index finger on her chin, as she slightly looked up to the sky. We looked at her curiously, as she turned towards us and winked.

"We go straight to the Christmas Company," Yaya said.

* * *

"Uhh…so _what's_ going on?" I asked. Yaya had made us dress up in military outfits, you know, those green-and-black-and-grey-and-white camouflage clothes? And she herself even brought a BB gun with no bullets, pretending to be an actual army soldier. Of course, there was only me, her, and Amu. I had no clue where the others are. The sun dipped low beneath the horizon. I had finished dinner and it was probably already 8:30. I'd promised Mama I'd be home by 10:00.

"Everyone's not here! That's so sad!" Yaya complained. I sighed irritably. "Could you explain why we're here?" I asked, facing a large skyscraper right in front of us. "What, are they holding a marathon with an all-you-can-eat dessert buffet at the end?" I said sarcastically. Yaya's eyes gleamed.

"Yaya would like that, but sadly, they don't. You don't know? This is Christmas headquarters," Yaya said matter-of-factly. Amu and I seriously gaped at the humungous structure in front of us. T—that's Christmas Headquarters? I thought it was a Japanese landmark! It had like a billion stories (more like 100, but anyways) and TRILLIONS of windows (I don't know how precise that is).

"Yaya researched!" Yaya exclaimed loudly. I snorted. Leaning over to Amu's ear, I whispered, "I bet she bribed Kairi with brownies." Recently, Kairi had grown to a liking for sweets. Yaya's persuading probably finally caused him to crack and he accepted sugar like mad now.

"ANYWAYS!" Yaya exclaimed loudly when she saw me whispering to Amu, "we'll be invading this building in twenty nanoseconds," she spoke matter-of-factly. Twenty nanoseconds (I suppose) later, I could almost hear the Mission Impossible music echoing in my ears.

"WAIT!" Amu exclaimed as Yaya immediately retreated back. "Yes, General Amu?" she asked in a mock-general tone. Amu sweat-dropped and sighed. "Look at that," she said, pointing towards a small device next to the automatic doors. Men in black walked up to it and swiped a card, thus allowing them entrance. Yaya sweat-dropped. "Ah…so Yaya didn't think about that…" Yaya admitted. Humph. Glad she at least admitted it. "Well, Yaya _does_ have a plan…remember to take the left hallway, okay?" she said. What, left hallway? She has a plan already?

What surprised me next was Yaya dashing up to the door and begging the receptionist to get in. She probably let her in cause Yaya looked like she needed to go to the bathroom. Yaya then darted in, past the receptionist, but sadly, she got caught immediately. She then began crying, severely alerting the receptionist. After that—

"Did she just wink at us?" Amu asked. "I think so," I whispered back. Indeed, the energetic brunette we all love was winking so much it looked like her eye would pop out. The two of us shrugged. The automatic door was still open cause Yaya and the receptionist were nearby. Amu and I snuck in and down the left hall before the receptionist could notice us.

"Wow. We actually got in," Amu commented. I nodded. Well, sometimes you never knew about stuff. We looked down the hall. It was creepily dark. Nervously, the two of us walked down it and huddled next to each other out of fear. After all, this was the enemy's headquarters we were in. We had to be careful.

Suddenly, something dropped on the ground. Amu shrieked like a scared cat (haha, my pun of the day) and latched onto my arm as I trembled nervously, facing the direction of the sound.

Whoof. Just a—

"WAHHHH!" I cried aloud as Amu, in response, cried as well. There was a window in front of us and those things that people use to climb in! That spiky thing! Someone was trying to sneak in! What were we supposed to do?

"RUN!" Amu hissed as we nodded, dashing down the hall. But before we could run too far, we heard a familiar voice from behind us.

"Wait," it said. I was the first to stop and turned around. It sounded so familiar, the voice—

"Ikuto," I stated bluntly, facing the feline blue-haired male crouched at the edge. He smirked at the sight of a terrified Amu and slowly tiptoed over. From behind him came more people: Kuukai, then Utau, and Kairi and Tadase, and finally the Fujisaki twins Nadeshiko and Nagihiko. Amu and I turned towards each other confusingly. Weren't they not coming?

"Weren't you guys not coming?" Amu voiced my thoughts. Ikuto looked around and made sure everyone was there before turning towards Amu. "Ah…the Baby Girl said it was part of her plan," Ikuto explained. I blinked. Yaya actually had a plan?

"Well, more of Sanjou-kun's plan," Tadase added as he helped Nadeshiko into the building. "You two were supposed to remain clueless cause you guys give away stuff easily. If you were caught, it'd be alright," Tadase explained. I blinked. "What?"

"Basically," Nagihiko took over, gracefully jumping down from the windowsill to the ground, "you two and Yaya were supposed to raid from the front and we were supposed to enter from the back." I blinked. "And why weren't we informed of this plan?" I asked. Nagihiko shrugged. "That way, if you two were in danger, you guys could immediately bail without thinking of abandoning your other friends," he said matter-of-factly. Wow. Right on the spot, Purplehead.

"So, here's our plan," Kairi said, gathering us over. "Yaya-chan is, presumably, out," he said, crossing out Yaya's name on his master sheet. "That remains nine of us to invade the headquarters. Our goal is to find out the purpose of Christmas: what they want, what they have, what they can do, and preferably who's in charge. We'll split into groups: Tsukiyomi-san with me, King with Hoshina-san, Nadeshiko-san with Nagihiko-sempai with Hinamori-san, and Souma-sempai with Mashiro-san," Kairi said. I nodded, glad that they hadn't took the chance to set me up with Nagihiko. Seriously, I swear, they _are_ doing things in the background to set us up! Kairi looked at each of us. "According to my research of this building's structure, our goals would be four places: their lab, their training grounds, their business front room, where they pretend they're just another business company, and finally, their director's room. The four groups, according to their various strengths, will go after different rooms," Kairi analyzed for us. We all nodded, listening to where our group was assigned to.

"Tsukiyomi-san and I will be aiming directly for the director's room on the top floor," Kairi said as we nodded. I was secretly glad the most dangerous place was taken. "King, Hoshina-san, please take care of the business front," he said, as Tadase and Utau nodded. "Fujisaki-sempais, you will be taking the training grounds. Please be careful," Kairi addressed as the Fujisaki twins nodded. Finally, he turned towards me and Kuukai. "Souma-sempai, Mashiro-san, that leaves the lab for you two," he said. I gulped. What seemed like a childish game of Yaya's actually turned into this.

"Does anyone have any question?" Kairi asked. No one dared to make a sound. "Oh, one last thing," Kairi added, "if you are in danger, run. We don't care if you're that close to getting the information—the last thing we want is someone hurt—or caught by Christmas. Run, remember: run," Kairi emphasized. Everyone nodded seriously. "Alright. Here's your map," he said, passing out maps for each group. Kuukai took ours, and Kairi nodded.

"Alright. Mission: Infiltration of Christmas Company, MICC, begin," Kairi said. We all nodded, as we grouped together with our partners and began locating our destinations.

"C'mon, Mashiro," Kuukai said, as I nodded and followed behind him. He seemed like he knew where he was going, as he turned down every crossroad rather surely. We had to sneak around some guards but with Kuukai's speed and evasiveness, it wasn't that hard. I just had to keep up—with got difficult sometimes.

"Where is the lab?" I asked as we tiptoed around another corner. Kuukai came to a sudden stop in front of me, causing me to crash right into his back. He inched back a few steps and placed a finger on his mouth, signaling for me to keep quiet. Complying, I shut my mouth and listened for anything Kuukai was listening to.

"—but those Guardians are really annoying," a gruff voice spoke. There was some clattering of papers heard—probably dropped to the ground.

"Pick it up!" Another gruff voice. "The director said he'd be back anytime soon. Didn't you hear about his newest security plan? At 10:00 sharp, the entire company would completely shut down: power, doors, everything. If you're out, you can't in. If you're in, you can't get out." My eyes widened. What? What type of security was that?

"Isn't it 9:30 already?" the other voice asked. My eyes widened even more. Crap! That meant we had only 30—or maybe 25—to find the lab, get what we wanted, and attempt to contact the others. Kuukai turned around and grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket, signaling he'd brought his cell phone. I heaved a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. Mine was out of batteries, actually.

"C'mon, let's go. I heard the director's staying here overnight. Like he's locking himself in," one voice said as footsteps were heard, getting lighter and lighter. The rest of their conversation was just a blur of whispers that I couldn't hear.

"Did you hear?" I whispered as Kuukai nodded. "Can't believe it!" I exclaimed. "It's like they're last resort! If we get trapped…we'll have to survive at least 9 hours without getting caught," I calculated. Kuukai gulped, immediately beginning to call everyone.

"Hey, Utau?" he spoke into the phone rapidly. "Listen, Mashiro and I heard the guards saying something about the director coming back soon. Be careful. Also, make sure you evacuate the building before 10:00. They've got this ultra security system that'll completely shut off the building at 10:00. Yes, I'm not lying. Sure, we can race whoever gets out the quickest—" I groaned. Now wasn't the time to get competitive! I glared at Kuukai and he smiled sheepishly, quickly finishing business and hanging up. Following up, he informed Kairi, who thanked him for the information. Finally, he dialed Amu's phone number.

"She's not picking up," Kuukai said worriedly as he hung up and tried someone else's—either Nagihiko or Nadeshiko's. Kuukai swore as he hung up once more, trying whoever he hadn't tried yet. "Both twins are out," he said nervously, as I gulped. "They went to the training room, didn't they?" I asked. He nodded, as we continued maneuvering down the halls.

"There's the lab," Kuukai whispered, pointing at the metal door that was apparently like the one at the entrance: you needed someone to open it with a card or someone from the inside to open it. Kuukai smirked. "This is what Sanjou came up with," he said, passing me a card. I blinked. Wow, Kairi forged a card for us! Wait—that what was the point of us charging in through the front?

_BEEP: Identity recognized: night guard_, the automatic voice spoke. The door slowly opened up and Kuukai pulled me towards the side to hide. The door remained open and not a sound inside was heard. Great, everyone was gone.

"C'mon," Kuukai said as he turned around the corner but abruptly came to a stop. He had one hand pushing back so I couldn't see what was inside the lab. His eyes then narrowed down.

"Sasaki-san," he greeted. I mentally gasped. Chika? What was she doing there. Kuukai's eyes then widened. "Hinamori and Fujisakis?" he asked confusingly, as I heard Chika's laughter echo around the lab. "Yes, they will be our new tests. Don't worry, they'll come out unharmed—I think," Chika said. Kuukai's eyes narrowed down and still pushed me back. "_Stay_," he whispered. "_Don't get caught_," he said, as I nodded. Unnoticeably, he dropped his cell phone and charanaried into Sky Jack.

"Golden Victory Shoot!" he exclaimed as I realized he and Chika had engaged in battle. What was Kuukai thinking? And why were Nagihiko, Nadeshiko, and Amu caught? Well, that'd make sense why they weren't picking up. I scrambled to pick up Kuukai's cell phone. He probably had some type of plan in mind—or Kairi had told him and hadn't told me.

"Rima…" I heard KusuKusu whisper. I had kept her in my pocket the whole entire time and ordered her to stay quiet. I assume she fell asleep and just woke up. Nervously, I took a step back and opted to call Kairi.

"Souma-sempai, did something happen?" Kairi's urgent voice came from the cell phone. I gulped, speaking up. "I'm not Kuukai; it's Mashiro," I said. I heard Kairi nod. "Ah, Mashiro-san. Did something happen?" he asked, wondering why Kuukai hadn't picked up. I gulped. And finally broke down.

"Ku—Kuukai's fighting Chika in the lab right now," I hissed into the phone, trying to stop my tears. Suddenly, an overwhelming feeling of fear overtook me and I sniffed. "A—and Nadeshiko and Nagihiko and Amu are captured in the lab! And Chika said she'd do something awful to them, and—" Kairi's calm voice cut me off.

"So where are you now?" Kairi asked. I gulped. "Right outside the lab. Chika didn't see me yet. Kuukai told me to not get caught," I reported. I could almost hear the gears in Kairi's brain functioning.

"We'll settle this tonight," Kairi said. "Mashiro-san, it's 9:54. According to you and Souma-kun, the building should be shutting down in approximately 6 minutes," Kairi said, and I nodded. "Tsukiyomi-san and I have already obtained the information we need. I can process it right now; I've brought my laptop. I'll need approximately an hour. Tsukiyomi-san can hold off normal guards, but I'm afraid Sasaki-san is a challenge for him—and everyone. You must do something important, Mashiro-san," Kairi said. I gulped. What could it be? "Yes?" I asked.

"We will have a showdown with Christmas today," Kairi said determinedly. "But we need all our members. First, you must locate Hoshina-san and King. I need their information. Tell them to go to the business front. Afterwards, try to contact Yaya. Then, you'll have to try and free the three of our members trapped," Kairi said. I almost hurled.

"Umm…did you not hear me, Kairi? They're trapped. In the lab. Where Chika and Kuukai are fighting right now," I said. Kairi sighed. "Last time, Nagihiko-san told me you and him could not hold off Chika's powers. We must try to attack with everyone. And I have a plan…." Kairi said. "If you can get them three out, or even just Nagihiko-san, that would be enough," Kairi said. I gulped and nodded. "S—sure," I stumbled hesitantly. We then hung up and I gulped.

Well, MICC was in action, and I was to be the heroine.

* * *

**A/N:** So, yes I am back. And I'm sorry for the super long leave (4 months...I know...). Actually, I don't have much to say unless you really want to hear me rant about my life. So basically, I think I'll stick to talking about this story. (By the way, I've deleted my Kukade FanFic since I really don't wanna write about it now)

So, this story, if you can't sense yet, is coming to an end. There are a few reasons why I've decided to start ending it. One, frankly, after 4 months, I've forgotten most what has happened in my story. So if you see some stuff that don't connect, sorry. Two, I'm frankly growing bored of my own plot. Yes, these things do happen. I wanna write a Kutau one (THEY FREAKIN' KISSED IN ENCORE!) but I've tried and failed to concoct up a suitable plot. So I'm basically inspiration-dry.

Well, that's it. My profile's getting a face-lift so check it out if you want. :P

By the way...about Sealed Memories...I might do it, I might not, depends on my inspiration. And I just might change the pairing.

Besides that, have a good week!

~~*Hope-chan*~~


	15. Chapter 15: Last Flashback, Last Words

**Chapter 15****: Final Battle, Final Flashback, Final Words**

_Well, MICC was in action, and I was to be the heroine._

* * *

"_Beep…beep…_hello?" came Utau's voice. I'd strayed away from the lab entrance in case Kuukai lost. I'm assuming he's just stalling and knows Kairi has some trick up his sleeve. I sighed, speaking into the phone.

"Utau?" I asked. Utau was apparently surprised to hear me. After all, it was Kuukai's cell. "Yeah, Mashiro?" she asked. I sighed. "Where are you right now?" I asked, getting straight to the point. There was a pause on Utau's side.

"A few corners away from the exit. How are you guys? Can you get out in time?" she asked worriedly, evidently concerned for Kuukai. I sighed, summarizing what Kairi had told me to them. "Don't exit. Come back. Kairi said we're facing Christmas once and for all tonight," I said. I heard another pause on the other side. "Is everyone alright?" she asked, immediately picking up that something must have gone wrong. I bit my lip, hesitating to tell her.

"Kuukai's fighting Chika, Nadeshiko, Nagihiko, and Amu are captured in the lab," I said honestly. There was another pause on her side.

"Where do I go?" she asked, straight to the point once more. "Back to the business front. Kairi apparently needs your information. He'll meet you guys there and he'll probably give you further information," I said. Utau grunted. "Sure. Bye. And, please, take care of Kuukai," she said sincerely. I gulped. I really wasn't sure if I could do that. "I'll…try," I said.

"Thanks," she said, and she hung up.

Next was Yaya. "Kuukai-kun! Did you guys make it?" she asked all too cheerily. I gulped. "Yaya, where are you right now?" I asked. I heard her sucking on a lollipop. "Right outside the building. Did something happen? Kuukai-kun, why do you sound like Rima-chii?" she asked. I sighed.

"I _am_ Rima. Listen, Yaya, we're having a final showdown with Christmas. We need you here right now," I said. Yaya nodded, happy she could participate in the battle. "Where does Yaya need to head?" she asked. "The lab," I said. "Hurry, you won't be able to get in after 10:00. Good luck," I whispered, and then hanging up.

Finally, the hardest part: saving those three people. How in the world was I supposed to do that? Kairi said getting Nagihiko out was good enough…supposedly. But how—and why? Actually, more importantly is how.

"ARGH!" I heard someone groan from the lab, sounding strangely masculine—and probably Kuukai. "Crap," I muttered as I dashed over. Sure enough, Kuukai was on the ground, still in his Sky Jack charanari but severely injured.

"You can't beat me, Souma-san," Chika spoke, floating in the air with her charanari as Noir Diamond. Kuukai snickered and spat at the ground. "I don't need to. I just need to rescue my friends!" he exclaimed, as he shot another attack at Chika. Surprisingly, she didn't even send an attack to nullify it; instead she simply used her hand to push the ball of energy towards one wall of the lab, causing it to collapse.

"You're weak," she sneered as Kuukai huffed. There really was nothing much more he could do. Perhaps…perhaps…

"My Own Heart: Unlock!" I exclaimed as I felt KusuKusu's energy rushing into me. Finally, the charanari was complete. "Charanari: Clown Drop!" I exclaimed, coming out in the usual clown outfit.

"And if it isn't our clown friend once again," Chika sneered even more. "Whatcha doing here, come to save your Prince Charming?" she said mockingly as she pointed towards Nagihiko trapped behind the bars behind her. Nagihiko's eyes widened. "Rima-chan!" he exclaimed. I focused my attention on Chika. I couldn't get distracted now.

"You wanna know something?" Chika said as she began to descend. "I absolutely loathe you guys. You guys probably think I'm some psycho girl who's gone nuts. Well, I'm telling you: I'm not," Chika said. I blinked. Had she suddenly regained some sense.

"The director of Christmas is my father," she stated boldly. Wow, she's on her personal-information-spouting spree again. "I knew Nagihiko when I small in Osaka. We were good friends," she stated rather neutrally. I could see Nagihiko's face drop in the background. Did something sad come into mind?

"I got a Chara back then," Chika continued. "It was Shizue. She was the one who brought to my attention my feelings for Nagihiko," she said without a hint of hesitation. Through my peripheral vision, I noticed Nagihiko flinch.

"Sadly, he rejected me," Chika continued. "And then he moved away. Haha, that was hilarious of him. Running away from me? What a coward," she insulted loudly. "So anyways, I hadn't intended to meet him here. After all, what were the chances? One in a million," she said. I nodded, slowly inching towards the cage. I still remembered my plan after all. To keep her talking, I began shooting questions.

"What is Christmas's goal?" I asked. Chika laughed. "You're fighting us and you don't know? The Embryo, of course!" she exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. "What about the Embryo? What will you wish for?" I asked. Chika blinked.

"My mother. She died. My father will bring her back to life," she said ominously. I gulped. W—what? She was bringing someone back from death? That was scary. "Shouldn't you let those who died to move on? There's no need to pull them back into the world. I'll bet you your mother's relaxing in Heaven now," I said. Chika laughed. The laughter slowly turned rather maniacal. I couldn't help freezing in my steps.

"She wouldn't be in Heaven. She's probably a ghost right now," Chika said spookily. I blinked. Huh? "Why?" I asked. Chika turned towards me and glared into my eyes.

"Nagihiko killed her. The love of my life killed the one I loved the most," Chika spoke spitefully. Nagihiko finally spoke up for the first time.

"Chika-chan, I swear, it was an accident!" Nagihiko protested. This time, Chika turned around and glared at him. "SHUT UP! If it weren't for you, Ma would still be ALIVE!" Chika hollered. Nagihiko winced, turning down to look at the ground. From inside the jail cell, Nadeshiko and Amu attempted to comfort him.

"What happened?" I asked daringly. Chika turned her attention back to me and smirked. "You really wanna know? Then I'll tell you," she said. "It was just a fine, spring morning. When everything began perfectly normally. When everything turned horribly wrong. When everything ended in the worst way."

____

_

* * *

_

_Flashback__: _

_"C'mon, Nadeshiko!" a younger Chika explained joyously, grabbing onto a smaller Nadeshiko—Nagihiko's hand. Nagihiko gave a nervous smile. "Chika-chan, my mother told me I can't leave the house today…" he spoke nervously. Chika rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Nadeshiko, it doesn't matter! Just go against your mother for a day! She won't kill you," Chika said. Nagihiko gave a huff. "Well, she will kill me but I guess I can't really kill Chika-chan's enthusiasm now…" Nagihiko thought worriedly. "Sure, let's go," he finally agreed unwillingly. _

_"Yay!" Chika exclaimed cheerily with a child's innocence and naivety. The two children dashed down the road, excited by the prospect of freedom to go anywhere they wanted. "I wanna go to Italy and have some spaghetti!" Chika exclaimed, as the two children began listing off their dreams._

_"I wanna go to Florida and play on the beaches…" Nagihiko spoke dreamily. Chika rolled her eyes. _

_"C'mon, even if you're going to Florida, you should be surfing!" she exclaimed ambitiously. Nagihiko laughed. "I can't swim. You know that, Chika-chan," Nagihiko said. Chika rolled her eyes. "Well, you said you were allergic to chlorine, but not salt water!" she exclaimed. Nagihiko laughed along nervously. _

_"Well, I also wanna see the Eiffel Tower," Nagihiko said. Chika laughed. "Sure, sure. I wanna go watch the Super Bowl!" Chika exclaimed. Nagihiko blinked. "Wow, Chika-chan, you really like sports," he commented. Chika rolled her eyes. "Duh, Nadeshiko. Just noticed?" _

_"Well, I also wanna fall in love," Nagihiko spoke truthfully. Chika scoffed. "Fall in love? That's useless! It's just two people living together and catching cooties," Chika said, disgusted. Nagihiko chuckled at the naïve girl's definition of 'love.' However, he did not catch the girl's subtle glances towards his direction. "Well, true love's not like that," Nagihiko spoke proudly. "When people really fall in love, it's a beautiful thing. There's this feeling, and it's like all the good stuff in the world wrapped together in one thing and you drink it," Nagihiko said. At this, Chika sighed. _

_"Hey, Nagihiko," Chika whispered really softly, afraid someone would overhear the two conversing. "Y—yeah?" Nagihiko responded, alarmed by Chika's sudden addressee. Chika smiled softly._

_"When you fall in love, tell me what it's really like, 'kay?" Chika said. Nagihiko blushed at the prospect of falling in love. To be truthful, he didn't even know how it was like. But what else could he say in response? "S—sure," he said. Chika smiled dreamily at Nagihiko's definition and metaphor of love.. And compared it to a feeling she already had. _

_What would a wonderful, beautiful thing look like? _

_"Nadeshiko? Chika?" a distant voice called out. Both kids raised their heads to come face-to-face with a brown-haired woman, her hands carrying several groceries. Chika's face beamed. "Mama!" she exclaimed, rushing to give the woman a hug. Chika's mother smiled kindly. "What are you two kids doing here?" she asked. Chika shrugged. _

_"Enjoying ourselves," she responded truthfully. Chika's mother laughed. "C'mon, it's getting dark," she said, looking towards the faraway sun dipping below the horizon. The sky was colored a dark crimson near the horizon, slowly becoming dark blue and black as it reached the sky. "Sure," both kids said. "Nadeshiko-chan, do you want to come over for dinner?" Chika's mother asked. Nagihiko raised his head anticipantly. "Really?" he asked. At home, dinner was so solemn and silent. Talking was considered rude and there were so many table etiquette manners for him to follow. _

_"Of course. I'll inform your mother," Chika's mother said. Nagihiko and Chika beamed, clapping hands. "Yay, we can have dinner together!" both cheered. _

_"Oh hey, I know a shortcut here!" Nagihiko exclaimed as he pointed down a dark alleyway. The Sasaki family frowned nervously, especially the mother. "Are you sure, Nadeshiko-chan? It looks dangerous," she said. Nagihiko frowned. He was so eager in showing Sasaki-san his secret passageway, but this was her response? _

_Quickly, Chika's mother detected Nagihiko's foul mood. "But nonetheless, it looks like an adventure! Soldiers?" she asked dramatically, as Nagihiko and Chika pretended to salute her. Chika's mother let out a laugh. "Let's go!" she exclaimed, as the two faux-marched for two steps and began laughing, the threesome walking down the alleyway together. _

_"Hey, are we almost there?" Chika asked Nagihiko, who was nervously looking around. To be truthful, he was worried. It was dark all around and every corner looked the same to him. He didn't dare tell, but he knew one thing: they were lost amongst the back slums of the town. _

_"Hey, it's rare to get visitors," a deep, raspy voice spoke. Chika, her mother and Nagihiko's head all darted towards the source of the voice: a dark, bulky man standing down the end of the alleyway. "Well, well, what do we have here?" he spoke suggestively, flipping out a pocketknife from his back pocket. "A young lady, and two younger children, along with a week's worth of food supply," he said, taking advances towards the three. Nervously, Chika and Nagihiko ran behind Chika's mother, clutching onto the hem of her dress. _

_"W—what do you want? We have the money," Chika's mother spoke boldly. The man laughed. "How much? Judging by the looks of you, you probably don't have much on you know," he said. Chika's mother flinched. "I—I can—what do you want?" she asked. The man laughed. _

_"Well, it's a dark night, and you three seem to be lost. Why don't you spend the night at my place…?" he spoke suggestively. The threesome had begun backing away from the man's advances, inching back towards their original path. _

_"Going somewhere?" a freaky voice came from behind the threesome. Chika's mother turned around to find Nagihiko and Chika being handled by two other gangsters. "Boy, children these days sure are feisty," one remarked, as they tied their wrists together with a rope. Both of the children struggled. "Let me go!" Chika exclaimed stubbornly, attempting to kick the man but failing to do so miserably. _

_"Let them go," Chika's mother spoke with new-found courage. The first man eyed her down. "And what will you give us?" he asked. Chika's mother bit the bottom of her lip. "Anything," she whispered, her tone turning desperate. The man threw his head back and laughed. _

_"Nah. I bet your husband will offer more than everything for his children and wife," he said, as he began approaching Chika's mother to rope her up. Chika's mother took steps back, trying to delay the inevitable. Finally, she thought of a plan. _

_"D—don't come over!" she exclaimed, flipping out a cell phone from her pockets. "I—I'll call the police!" she exclaimed. She clutched onto her fists tightly. Her cell phone was, in truth, out of batteries. She could only pretend it worked though. Thank goodness it was the type where you flip them open—you couldn't tell it was off. _

_"Do you dare to?" the first man said. "Turn around," he said as Chika's mother whirled around. One of the men was holding a knife dangerously close to each other the children's neck. "NO!" she exclaimed in horror, as the first man laughed once more. _

_"Call the police if you want, lady, but don't be expecting to see your children getting out of here alive," he threatened. Chika's mother bit her bottom lip. She was growing desperate. "Please…someone…help," she prayed in her mind. _

_"Hey!" Nagihiko gave a cry of alarm. One of the thugs was tugging at his hair. "Hey, you've got some pretty hair, young lady. I'll bet we can sell it for a hefty sum…" he mumbled as he ran his hands through her hair. "Hey! You're getting my hair all dirty!" he exclaimed in protest as the man laughed. "You should look around at your position before you speak, brat," he spat at Nagihiko, spit landing on his face. His eyes flared with anger and disgust. _

_"WHY YOU—" Nagihiko cut himself off, as sakura blossoms miraculously appeared in his hair. Out of nowhere, it seemed like he pulled out a naginata and rather skillfully wielded it at the thug. Said thug jumped back in surprise. "W—what? There are modern day ninjas?" he exclaimed in surprise. _

_"LET HER GO!" Nagihiko exclaimed, pointing his naginata at the thug holding Chika. The thug, being the coward he was, dashed away down the alleyway in fear of what could happen to him if he dwelled. Finally, Nagihiko turned towards the prior thug, who was slowly drawing out a gun. _

_"I wouldn't want to waste a bullet on you, my dear," he said as he looked at Chika's mother, "but it seems like if I want to live, I'll have to," he said, loading the gun. Nagihiko gulped. He doubted he'd be able to get to the man in time to prevent him from shooting a bullet. _

_"RUN!" Chika's mother suddenly screamed. She jumped and put her body in between the two children and the thug. "RUN!" she exclaimed once more, urgently, pushing the two kids to go. Nervously—and frightened by her behavior—the two nodded, dashing down the alleyway. "SH!T" the man yelled aloud, as the two children ran for their lives—very literally. _

_A shot was heard._

"Wait…so I'm confused," I commented. "How the heck did Nagihiko kill your mom?" I asked, perhaps a bit too blunt. Chika shot me a sharp glare.

_

* * *

_

**_OSAKA WEEKLY NEWS:_**

_**Lady Sacrifices Self to Protect Two Children** _

_On August 7th, in the quiet town of Loggia, a tragedy occurred, resulting in the death of an innocent woman. Said woman was found, dead, in a dark alleyway belonging to the slums of Loggia. Scattered around her were her groceries and a pocketknife that was foolishly left behind by the criminal. After a DNA fingerprint inspection, the criminal was easily found: Takahashi Masaki, aged 51, a single man living by himself in the slums. Takahashi-san admitted to his crime and was arrested five days after the event. According to him, the lady had sacrificed herself to protect the lives of her two children. After investigation, these two children have been identified as Sasaki Chika, the mother's daughter, and Fujisaki Nadeshiko, a close friend of Sasaki Chika. _

_On this lone summer day, we will commemorate the bravery of Sasaki Aiko and mourn for her tragic loss to the Sasaki family. _

_

* * *

_

"IT'S ALL HER FAULT!" a tearful Chika exclaimed at the funeral. "FUJISAKI NADESHIKO, YOU WILL PAY!" she exclaimed. Her father apologized to the guests and attempted to quiet down his daughter. When he failed, he dragged her out of the room and told her to think it over by herself in her bedroom. A tear-stained Chika dashed onto her bed and cried into her pillow.

_"It's all her fault—it's all her fault—it's all his fault—his fault—his fault—"_

_Noticeably, a purple-colored egg seated straightly on her desk dimmed and a rather noticeable 'X' appeared on the egg. _

* * *

"You idiot. If Nagihiko hadn't even suggested about that passageway, then we wouldn't have been there at that exact time. This is all your fault!" Chika screeched, pointing her finger at Nagihiko in his cage. His head fell, his eyes staring at the ground and his hands barely clutching onto the cage bars.

"I—it was an accident…" I could hear Nagihiko mutter in self-comfort. Chika snorted. "Accident? You could've prevented it! YOU KILLED HER!" Chika exclaimed accusingly. Nagihiko finally had nothing to say in response and slumped down into a blob of purple.

"So? Any last words?" Chika said, facing me once more, her hand facing me rather dangerously. I was afraid she'd have some attack coming my way. She sneered. "Perhaps you know where the Embryo is. C'mon, do some good for the world and save a person's life," she said. I snorted.

"One, I have no clue where the Embryo is and how you can get it. And two, I have no interest in bringing back people from the dead," I said matter-of-factly. From my peripheral vision, I'd noticed that Kuukai had struggled to get up, and was facing Chika, ready to fight. Great. If Kuukai could delay her long enough, I could go save Nagihiko and Kairi's plan could probably—

"Diamonds of the Dead," Chika muttered barely. From her hands, sharp, pointed shards of a black diamond formed. I eyed the pieces nervously. If one pierced somewhere near the heart or neck, there was almost no doubt—that you'd die.

Suddenly, all the shards came flying my way.

They say that when you're about to die, things happen much slower. Maybe as you realize your life's coming to an end, you realize how precious each minute, second, millisecond, nanosecond is. I watched the shards approaching me at a dangerously fast yet super slow speed. My feet were trapped. They were sinking down into a darkness pit that Chika had probably created.

Right before I got stabbed by the first shard, I noticed several things:

Chika floating in the air, her palm facing me, giving off one of her own smirks.

Kuukai's screaming 'CRAP!' and jumping towards me (though evidently will be unable to make it on time).

Distant voices—perhaps a guard's? No…it's Kairi's. "SASAKI-SAN, PLEASE WAIT!" he exclaimed. Yep, Kairi: forever the polite and humble one.

And one last one. The owner of this voice was unrecognizable.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

A scream. Of utter horror.

Those were the last sounds I'd heard, the epilogue of The Life of Mashiro Rima.

* * *

**A/N:** Alright, I'll be perfectly honest: I'm not satisfied with this chapter. (Or story) But I've put it up anyways. And I'll be honest once more: I'm rushing. Rushing~~ rushing~~rushing~~cause frankly...I'm losing touch with my story. So the characters will be OOC, and I apologize. Though it'd be nice if you could point out. Or just say something like "WHAT?? WHAT THE HECK IS RIMA THINKING?? BLAH BLAH BLAH." I don't know...it'd be good pointers.

Well, it's coming to an end! Finally...my first official series story. Took like what--half a year? 0.0 I'll have to learn to do better than that.

Hope you enjoyed it!


	16. Chapter 16: Her Mother's Love

**Chapter 16****:**

_"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

_A scream. Of utter horror._

_Those were the last sounds I'd heard, the epilogue of __The Life of Mashiro Rima__._

* * *

W—where was I? Some dark, dark room…and I was tied up. At least that was the only reason I could think of to describe the rough, tight bindings around my wrists and ankles.

A sudden shock ran through my body. This was exactly how it was when I was kidnapped: cold, scared, tied up, in a dark, scary, lonely room…

Nervously, I trembled. Fear ran up and down my spine and I attempted to regulate my breathing. C'mon, Rima, nothing too hard: in, out, in, out, in—

"Rima?" a quiet voice whispered. Air got stuck in my windpipe as I wheezed, attempting to breathe in and out. "R—Rima?" the voice asked nervously, as I continued panting and choking on my own breath. "Rima, are you alright?" the voice asked worriedly. Slowly, I began recognizing the voice as Amu's.

"F—fine," I sputtered out nervously, finally getting over my flashback. "W—what happened?" I asked nervously. I heard Amu sigh exasperatedly, causing me to tense up. Did something happen?

"Well, you know Chika attacked you?" Amu asked. I nodded worriedly. "Then…well, her attack hit you and you—erm, fell," she stated vaguely. I raised a suspicious brow at her, though I had a feeling she couldn't see it. "Fell?" I voiced aloud my suspicions.

"Umm…yeah," Amu said. "Basically…KusuKusu popped out of you and you de-charanaried, and then Kuukai rushed over to help you," Amu said. "Kairi called for Chika's attention, I don't know why. So naturally, after Chika attacked you, she turned her attention to Kairi. She attacked him as well, and he fell…so basically we're all down except for Ikuto, Yaya, Tadase, and Utau who, for some reason, weren't with Kairi," Amu finished. I blinked.

"So…we're captured?" I asked. Amu nodded. "And," she began, "you shouldn't move too much. Chika's attacks materialized into attacks directly harming your physical state. Careful," Amu warned. I winced. And you don't tell me sooner! I felt my left shoulder, right leg, and abdomen churn in pain.

"S—so what's our plan now?" I wheezed. Amu sighed. "I don't know. To be truthful…we're trapped," Amu said. I blinked. Wow, Amu. Great way to go and state it bluntly. Now what?

Suddenly, blaring bright lights turned on that temporarily blinded me. After I'd adjusted to the brightness, I surveyed my surroundings. Apparently, we were trapped in some sort of prison, though the walls were metallic, like we were in a lab.

Correction: we _were_ in a lab.

"What the heck?" Amu exclaimed aloud. "What's going on?" she demanded. A cynical chuckle came from our side as our eyes turned towards said direction.

"Chika," Amu narrowed her eyes down at the de-charanaried girl dangerously. Chika gave a smirk and stared right back at Amu. "Well, well, look at what we have now: _all of you trapped in a cage_," she spoke ambitiously. Amu glared straight back. "What are you gonna do?" she demanded, as Chika pretended to whistle innocently.

"Oh, I don't know: change your Charas into X-Eggs first, I suppose?" she said. My eyes widened. N—no way! They couldn't change KusuKusu into an X-Egg! They couldn't! Th—then wh—what would h—happen to me? A part of me wo—would be _gone!_

"Curse you," Amu hissed as Chika shrugged. "That won't be getting you anywhere, pinkster," she said, 'cheerfully' skipping out of the room. There were two burly guards in black that opened the door for her and watched her go out, then quickly shutting the door.

Three moments of silence passed.

"What are we gonna do…" I mumbled, lost. Puzzled. Confused. Discombobulated with how the world was treating me. I mean, c'mon! What did I ever do wrong? –Well, I _have_ admittedly faulted before, but when has a fault gone to such an extent that _my dream needs to be crushed_?

"Hey," a static voice came from one of the guards. Apparently, it was a walkie-talkie. "Yes?" one of the men responded in a low, gruff voice. "Bring the prisoners in Cell B to Cell A," the voice said. One of the men nodded and placed his walkie-talkie back, turning to glare at us. "Let's go," he said, as one grabbed me by my arm and the other grabbed Amu's. "Hey!" Amu exclaimed, alarmed. I bit my tongue to cry out from the pain that surged through my body when that guy grabbed onto my left arm. If you don't remember—my left shoulder _burned_ awhile ago.

We were grabbed out of the room and down a short period of hallway. Finally reaching where was apparently Cell A, the guards swiped a card to open the room and pushed us in, quickly closing the door after we were pushed in. "Darn it," I muttered as I kicked the metal door. All that happened was Newton's Third Law being demonstrated as my foot surged with pain.

"Amu, Rima!"

"RIMA-TAN!"

"Hinamori! And Mashiro and well!"

Amu and I whipped our heads around to see who the familiar voices belonged to. Our eyes widened. Nadeshiko, Yaya, Kuukai, Kairi, and Nagihiko were all in the room, tied up as well. We quickly gathered together to check if everyone was alright.

"Hey, is Mashiro fine?" Kuukai asked worriedly. I huffed. At least no physical pains of Chika's attacks were shown. "I'm fine," I said. Sure, the pains still hurt, but there was no point in telling everyone now when we were _flippin' gonna die soon probably!_

"What's happening? Why's Yaya here?" Amu asked. Kairi shrugged. "According to my analysis, Yaya probably got caught by one of the surveillance guards," Kairi said. I sighed. We should've expected Yaya to get caught by one of the guards.

"What happened?" I asked, desperately wanting to get filled in on the information as soon as possible. I mean, --the fudge? I fainted and suddenly all this crap happened?

"Well," Kuukai began gingerly, "you got hit…right? Then, Sanjou came soaring in—very cool, Sanjou—and Sasaki attacked him as well. Mehh, he went down in one shot," Kuukai said as Kairi shot him a glare and coughed. "I 'went down in one shot' because I was not in my charanari," Kairi pointed out. Kuukai rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. _Anyways_, Sanjou went down, and then Sasaki attacked me, and we all went down. And we were all caught," Kuukai pointed out. "And now, voila," he said, directing towards the seven of us in the room. "We're all caught," he said, repeating himself. I blinked. Great explanation, Kuukai.

"Now what?" I asked, completely unaware of what was happening. Here, Nagihiko spoke up.

"We wait," he said solemnly. Kairi nodded.

"Yes. We can only wait."

* * *

"So…what do we do know?" Kuukai nervously asked. We'd been trapped in the room for approximately three hours already and to be frank, we'd already lost our anxiety and started growing _bored_. I mean, c'mon! Staying in the same silver-grey room for three hours—that was meant for people in asylums!

"We can only rely on Ikuto, Tadase, and Utau?" I questioned carefully. On my side, Kairi nodded. "Sadly…for they are the only ones…free," Kairi stated carefully. I then blinked. "Hey Kairi, weren't they with you? Why weren't they with you when you came to the lab?" I asked. Kairi's face paled—

Along with everyone else's in the room.

"Hmm?" I asked curiously. Kairi blinked. "U—uhh," he stuttered nervously. My eyes narrowed down on his but soon continued onto everyone else. There was something going on…_definitely_ something going on…that I didn't know about.

"We told them to retreat, because too many people isn't necessarily a good thing," Nagihiko piped up. The atmosphere immediately loosened up—and that didn't go by undetected by me. My eyes narrowed down on Nagihiko suspiciously but all he did was smile an innocent smile.

An altogether _too_ flashy, shiny, innocent smile.

"Something's going on—" I began suspiciously, but Nadeshiko nervously clapped her hand over my mouth. I squirmed and attempted to leave her grasp but her stupid hand just _wouldn't let go!_ Finally, I gave up, as Nadeshiko slowly took her hand off. "Shhh…" she whispered, "we're onto something, don't worry," she said confidently. I raised a suspicious eyebrow. What could they possibly have in mind?

"This," Nagihiko whispered, as if reading my mind. Suddenly, all the lights in the laboratory were turned off. "Wh—what?" I panicked, as everyone around me began to stand up (we'd sat down cause we were tired). "Let's go," I heard someone—Nadeshiko?—whisper, and complying so, I made a grunt signaling I'd heard her and I followed the vaguely-seen silhouettes of people around.

"This way," I heard a hiss. I couldn't tell who it was, but I think it was a girl. Amu, I think. I followed her so we were in front of one of the walls—I think. "NOW!" a voice hollered from beside us, and suddenly, the wall burst.

Literally.

"WAH!" I exclaimed out of surprise. Amu slipped her hand into my hand—wait a sec, it wasn't Amu! It was Nagihiko. He gave it a tight squeeze, causing my heart to literally skip a beat but I did shut up, which was probably his intention. My eyes squinted towards the bright light coming from the hole.

"Thanks, Tsukiyomi-san," I heard Kairi's formal, polite tone. Outside was Ikuto charanaried with Yoru into Black Lynx. On his side, Utau was in Lunatic Charm and Tadase was nervously looking around in his Platinum Royale transformation.

"W—what?" I questioned. I heard Nagihiko squeeze my hand again and I shut up once more. Kairi rushed over to Ikuto and whispered some things to him. Ikuto finally smirked, walking over towards Amu and carrying her up.

"W—what?" Amu chibi-tomato-mode squeaked nervously. Ikuto leaned down towards her ear and—knowing him—whispered something very perverted into it, causing Amu to blush as red as—no, redder than—a tomato. Ikuto soon leaped away while carrying Amu.

"What's happening?!" I asked aloud, beginning to panick. Nagihiko turned towards me and shot me a smirk which I couldn't help but huff at. "What?" he asked as I rolled my eyes. "Stop the smirking and get on with the topic," I demanded rather forcefully. Nagihiko smirked once more, much to my irritation.

"Didn't Kairi already mention it to you? We're having a final showdown with Chika-chan today," Nagihiko said. I winced at the affectionate honorific still added to Chika's name. When will he call her Sasaki? Jeez!

Then again, it's not like I _care_ or anything.

"How so?" I asked. Nagihiko smirked, knowing he was in charge—which sadly, I had to admit he was. "Kairi got some backup scoop on Chika-chan's dad. Sure, he's the owner of Christmas, but is he really the one trying to get the Embryo? No," Nagihiko decided. I glared at him questioningly. "Huh?" I asked. He sighed.

"Basically, what I'm trying to say is that Chika's family is, so to say…_apart_," he said. I blinked.

"Divorced?" I asked bluntly. Nagihiko sighed. "No, it's not like that. It's…well, so to say…" Nagihiko said, "Chika…she's an illegitimate child," Nagihiko said. I blinked once more.

"Her mom and dad aren't married?" I asked. Nagihiko sighed irritably.

"Basically, Chika's mother had an affair with another man. When Chika's mother died, the man came over to Chika's…'father' and asked for child custody over Chika. Thus, the whole story was spilled. However, Chika's father refused to hand over Chika, and the two got a very serious argument involving law suit. Chika's father—like…uhh…her quote—father—quote, won in the end, partially due to Chika's unwillingness to accept the strange man and he also had a stable job—CEO of Christmas. In order to keep his daughter satisfied, he's been giving her more and more space to go wild recently, cause he's secretly afraid she'll runaway to that man one day. So he gave her control over the company," Nagihiko explained. I gulped. Wow. A _very_ fierce woman.

"So what're we doing now?" I asked. Nagihiko smirked once more.

"Whaddaya think? Directly facing down Chika once more."

* * *

"There!" I heard Nagihiko exclaim, my head jerking towards his direction. Kairi had once again assigned us to different roles: Ikuto and Amu were to locate the director—Chika's father—, Kuukai, Utau, Tadase, Yaya, Kairi, and Nadeshiko were sent to attempt to find Chika, and me and Nagihiko?

Find the Charas of the ones who'd been caught.

"KusuKusu!" I exclaimed aloud, attempting to gain my Chara clown's attention. They were all trapped in a glass box inside a brightly lit room. Nagihiko and I burst in—and much to our chagrin…

Chika was in there as well.

"Well, well, I somehow _knew_ you guys were gonna head here," Chika said, placing her elbows on the glass box and leaning her chin on her palms. "Come to get your Charas?" she asked as I narrowed my eyes down on the Charas.

"Chika-chan, really, your mother's death—" Nagihiko began tentatively but all Chika did was shoot us a dirty look. "Do not, I repeat do _not_ mention that in front of me—ever again!" she exclaimed. Nagihiko sighed. "Chika-chan—" he tried once more but this time, Chika's response was a charanari.

"Charanari: Noir Diamond," she exclaimed, her and Shizue character transforming into their charanari. Brilliant grey feathers shot out from her back as her blood-red eyes narrowed down on us. "You two—will die," she hissed. "Dreading Diamonds!" she exclaimed, sending a barrage of diamonds our way.

"Get to the Charas!" I heard Nagihiko exclaim. Nervously, I ran out of the way and inched towards the wall. What the heck did he mean? No way was I gonna get to the Charas! She was right in front of them! She was dangerous!

"Rima-chan!" he pleaded. I sighed. Sure, sure. I'll run if there's trouble though. Nervously, I inched towards the Chara box as Nagihiko managed to distract her. Finally, when my hands were just a few centimeters away from the glassbox, she turned around, her blood-red eyes suddenly seeming more bloodshot than ever.

I gulped.

"Dreading Diamonds!" she exclaimed as I quickly ducked. I mean, that was all I could do! Since I was here already, I had to save the Charas! C'mon, stupid glass box, get off!

_Pong_.

"YAY!" a chorus of cheers came from the cheered Charas. I drew a deep breath and ran, far _far_away from Chika, as fast as I could. Finally, I turned back around, heaving deep breaths. I reached for Kuukai's cell phone, which I forgot to return.

"HELP!" I exclaimed into the phone. I wasn't even sure who I'd called; it was speed-dial 2. "W—what? Where are you? Kuukai? Or still Rima?" the voice replied. _Utau_. "Rima. We're…we're…NAGIHIKO, WHERE THE HECK ARE WE?" I hollered to Nagihiko who had already become Beat Jumper and was fighting against Chika. Chika turned my way and narrowed her eyes on my cell phone. Expertly sending a barrage of diamonds over, it struck my cell phone before I could barely move.

"Crap," I muttered, quickly dodging to the side. "KusuKusu!" I exclaimed, as KusuKusu floated over. "Charanari: Clown Drop!" I exclaimed, as I quickly joined Nagihiko.

"Chika-chan, bringing your mother back to life won't solve anything," Nagihiko reasoned. Chika snorted. "Yeah right. My mother was the only one who could understand me. My father? Or should I say fake-father? He doesn't give a crap for anything I do! And my real father, quote-quote again? Pshh! What can he do: give me child support for 6 years? Not a chance," Chika hissed. "There's only my mother. Only my mother. I need my mother—I need her—I _need_—_need_," Chika repeated to herself over and over again.

"SHUT UP SHIZUE!" she exclaimed—to herself? Nagihiko and I silently watched from the sidelines. "Shizue?" I heard Nagihiko whisper.

"Stupid Chara, you're just that remaining conscience in my brain! Well guess what? CONSCIENCE KILLED MY MOTHER," Chika hollered, slowly beginning to descend to the ground.

"You know that Shizue is your would-be-self, Chika-chan!" Nagihiko hollered, in support of the conscience fighting Chika. Chika hissed. "NO! I NEED MY MOTHER, I **NEED** HER!" Chika hollered.

Finally, her internal fighting stopped.

And her full attention was on the two of us.

"**Die**," she hissed, charging our way with a sword in hand. Nagihiko and I dodged towards the sides. Similar fighting proceeded, with Chika evidently attacking and Nagihiko and I being forced into a defensive stance.

"We can't go on like this forever," I reminded him as Nagihiko nodded. Expertly, he summoned his Blaze Shoot attack and carefully took aim. I got his hint, using my Tightrope Dancer to momentarily trap her. It worked this time—probably due to the rise in emotions she'd been experiencing in the last 24 hours. Right before Nagihiko was about to hurl his attack, a holler came from the entrance.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" the voice screamed. Nagihiko paused his attack and I looked that way as well, curious as to who it was. A businessman? Dressed in a black suit, red tie, black pant, black dress shoes, cleanly-shaved, and gelled brown hair.

"P—Papa?" Chika choked over her words.

* * *

**A/N:** w00t! Coming to the end! I can't believe I'm actually rooting for it to end...but whatevs. *shrug* I'm thinking of an AU story for my next one...Sealed Memories has been scrapped for now. I can't write about fantasy currently. In a realistic mood.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed!


	17. Chapter 17: A Heart to Heart Talk

**Chapter 17****: A Heart-to-Heart Talk**

"_P—Papa?" Chika choked over her words._

* * *

W—W—W—W—W—WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT?

T—that was Chika's father?

He looked frickin' 20-something!

"C—Chika, what are you doing?" he asked his daughter, staring at her with his caramel-colored eyes. Chika's wings disappeared the moment her feet touched the ground. "N—nothing. Weren't you on that business trip?" she asked, her tone slightly hushed. Nagihiko and I silently watched the father-daughter exchange scene.

"Y—yeah. I'm back though," he said. "C—Chika, what are you doing?" he asked caringly. My eyes softened. Such a caring father. If only my father—

Whoa. Off-topic. Back to their convo.

"I—I—" she stuttered, slowly backing away from her father. "DON'T LOOK AT ME!" she exclaimed, collapsing onto the ground and covering her eyes with her hands. Her father slowly approached her, and from behind him I saw Amu and Ikuto. I nodded reassuringly, telling her we'd be fine—for now. Nonetheless, Amu's Charas floated her way.

"What's wrong, Chika?" he asked. Chika sobbed. "N—NOTHING!" she exclaimed. Though on the ground, she continued backing away from her father. "Chika, did I do something wrong? What are you trying to do? I've done research on this…"Embryo" before," he added. Chika gulped, a knot in her throat unable to go down.

"I—I—I was trying to bring Ma back to life!" Chika exclaimed, taking her hands away from eyes, ever the more red. "S—she died! I—I—I want her back!" Chika protested like a whining child. Her father sighed, bending down so he'd face Chika face-to-face.

"Now, why do you want to bring your mother back to life?" he asked. Chika sniffed.

"C—c—cause…" Chika began nervously. "You loved her!" she exclaimed, each syllable ringing clearly in the air.

"You loved her! We were a family back then! But now? All your time is spent at work, making more money, making sure your company was running successfully, attempting to make more money, more, and more and more and more…" Chika trembled nervously. "When Ma was alive, you'd at least come home for dinner. Now, you come home sometimes at 1:00 in the morning! And don't lie to me! I know! I lie to! I'm not asleep all the time!" Chika exclaimed.

"Ma cared! Ma knew! Ma—Ma—Ma loved! She loved! Perhaps that's why her name was Aiko…" Chika spoke sorrowfully. "She understood! She sympathized! She—she—she truly was the most brilliant person on the world!" Chika exclaimed, breaking down into tears once again.

"I—I—I want Ma…" she mumbled. A low chuckle then escaped from her throat.

"I WANT MA!" she exclaimed, her charanari once again in full power. Her father took a surprised step back at the sudden appearance of dark wings of his daughter's back. Soaring into the air, her bloodshot red eyes glared down at her father.

"Go," she hissed, with a hint of alarm. It was as if she couldn't control herself once again. "GO!" she hollered, pushing her father out of her way and towards us. Nagihiko caught him and helped the man back onto his feet. Nagihiko and I then took our battle stances, alerted by Chika's sudden actions.

"Charanari, Amulet Heart!" I heard Amu exclaim, as she and Ran charanaried. Amulet Heart eyed Chika cautiously. "Careful!" I exclaimed, warning Amu of Chika's powers. For the first time in my life I believe, I saw Amu smirk.

"Got it all under control," she said confidently, which was rare for her. I blinked at her questionably while Ikuto charanaried in the background. "Go, shrimp," he said, as he leaped next to Amu. "Amu-koi and I got this under control," he said as confident as Amu. Amu's smirk widened. "Yeah, as Ikuto said—wait, _what_ did you say?" she screeched, back to her tomato-faced expression. I sighed. The two would probably be arguing again for a long time. Anyways, me and Nagi were too tired to do anymore good. Might as well—

"Watch out!" I exclaimed. In the midst of all our chatters and my thinking, Chika had shot an attack at Nagihiko—and her father. Nagihiko's eyes widened, as he attempted to drag a full-grown man with him out of harm's way. However, my warning came too late.

"NO!" Nagihiko exclaimed, as Chika's father fell to the ground. My eyes widened at the bloody sight. How could someone do that? How could someone harm their very own father? How could someone be so cruel and ruthless and—

"Get him somewhere!" Amu hollered as she took a fighting stance as well. I nervously nodded, dashing towards Nagihiko and the man's way. Nagihiko was on the ground, slightly traumatized by what had just happened. I sighed. The same-ish thing had happened to me, too. When I was actually shot by those diamonds—let's just say I fainted. It wasn't pleasant.

"C'mon, Nagihiko," I ushered the poor, traumatized boy. Nagihiko blinked ever-so-slightly and nodded, quickly leaping up to his feet and reaching to carry Chika's father. From the glossy look in his eyes, I could tell he was still slightly out of it. I sighed. "Let's go," I said, taking the lead so Nagihiko would have less to think about. He nodded ever-so-slightly and took off after me as we dashed out of the room.

"Where to go…" I muttered to myself as Nagihiko and I (and Chika's dad) ran down the hallways. They were all dimly lit, and with the poor lighting, we had slight difficulty going ways. "We should probably treat him first," I realized, remembering about Chika's father's physical state at the moment. Locating a map (which was a brochure) of the company, I quickly located the infirmary of the building.

"Seems like no one's here," I noted as I turned on the light of the infirmary. It was a small, quaint room, with one large window and three patient beds. "I'll put him there…?" Nagihiko finally spoke up from carrying Chika's dad and I nodded. Placing the man on the bed, Nagihiko then walked towards the cabinet to search for medical supplies.

Thank goodness he knew that to do—cause I didn't.

"Y'know…" Nagihiko began as he tended to the cuts on Chika's father's body, "Chika didn't actually do anything wrong. She's just—as you can see, a bit disoriented." I snorted. "You call _that_ disoriented? Even I wouldn't attack my own father, who I bet treats me worse than how Chika's father treats her," I spat. Family dynamics were never a good excuse for someone to use on me. I had a _much_ worse family than anyone.

Or so I thought.

"But it's hard on her. Her mother passed away, and her father is drifting away from her. While you still have both of your parents, and they at least care for you," Nagihiko remarked. I blinked. "How do you know?" I asked. Nagihiko shrugged. "It seemed like every time I went to your house, they'd come up once in awhile to bring food?" he asked. I snorted. "That's cause they're pretending in front of guests." Nagihiko shrugged, throwing away a bloody cotton swab. "How do you know?" he challenged, as I opened my mouth to respond.

However, no words tumbled out.

Deciding against looking stupid, I quickly clamped my mouth shut. "Whatever," I spat, turning away and sitting down on the bed next to where Chika's father lied. I watched Nagihiko's hands work magic, cleaning up the bloody wounds, applying alcohol, bandaging—

Wow. He really is capable of 'anything.'

"What are you not good at?" I asked. Nagihiko paused in his handiwork and looked at me questioningly. "What do you mean?" he asked back. I sighed. "It's just—it seems like you're good at everything. Life is just so freakin' not fair," I complained. I figured since we were here, we might as well make small talk out of the situation.

"Well…" Nagihiko began tentatively, "I can't play basketball well—" I shot him a glare. "If you're count as 'not well,' Mr. Basketball Team Captain, I don't know who'd be counted as well," I pointed out. Nagihiko blinked, a smirk appearing on his face. "Awhh…is Rima-chan complimenting me?" he asked, as I rolled my eyes. "No way," I said, as Nagihiko dropped the topic.

"Then, I'm not as good as Souma-kun in soccer—" Again, another glare. "I want a proper answer," I said. "Like I want you to find something that I'm good at that you're not," I said. Nagihiko blinked. "Umm…" he thought, as he continued his handiwork, "I guess…uhh…"

Perhaps he's bad at making excuses? I'd mastered that skill awhile before Mama and Papa allowed me to come home by myself.

"I guess that I can't express my emotions as well as Rima-chan," he said, shooting a smile at me. I raised an eyebrow. "Explain," I spoke curtly, getting into my 'all boys are my slave' tone a bit.

"Well…" he began, focusing intently on Chika's father's shoulder, "you're able to yap off about almost anything and people won't shoot you suspicious glares—though they _will_ feel slightly irritated," Nagihiko said, as I huffed. "However, at least you're expressing what you really think. I, however, can never managed to express what I'm thinking without lying through half of it," he said.

"Cause you were a liar," I pointed out bluntly as Nagihiko sighed. "Yeah, I've heard that a few times before," he said sarcastically.

An awkward silence enshrouded us.

"Sooooooo, I guess that's it with your questioning?" Nagihiko asked, turning towards Chika's father's ankle. "Does that satisfy you, my queen?" he asked, as I glared back.

"No. I don't get your answer," I said. "You say that you can't show what you really feel about something, but don't you? I, on the other hand, have to pretend to be nonchalant and indifferent towards everything, cause that's—apparently—part of who I am. Mashiro Rima, Ice Queen." I mentioned my infamous nickname at school and sighed.

"Well, it seems like we're complete opposites," Nagihiko remarked. "Y'know, since I'm 'Nagihiko,' people expect me to act like one. Like—" he proceeded to explain what he meant when he said the confused glare on my face, "—I need to smile. Y'know, keep happy? Apparently, Nagihikos aren't allowed to be sad. And I can_not_ be blunt. No matter what, I must be subtle, including when I want to scream in the cafeteria because the thirtieth fan-girl has deafened my ears," Nagihiko said nonchalantly. I hid a giggle. Nagihiko sounded funny when he referred to himself in third-person-ish language.

"So, we're even," Nagihiko remarked. I sighed. Perhaps we were. There was some cruel fate from up in the heavens that was twisting our lives. Or maybe this _was_ destiny.

"I'm really envious of certain people," Nagihiko continued. "Like Amu-chan. Though she also can't show her worrisome, anxious side, she's at least starting to show it. And people don't find it weird. And Tadase, whenever he Character Changes, people are now used to it and find it funny even. People like Kuukai and Yaya never really had a façade, and Nadeshiko fit in rather well. People found Kairi's devotion to the code of bushido to be perfectly normal, and Chika-chan—well, I guess no one could really dislike her. She was Yaya's type—energetic, full of vitality, and the type no one could dislike," Nagihiko said, finishing with a sigh.

"Do you like her?" I mustered up my guts to ask. Nagihiko paused in his work again. "Who?" he continued, his voice empty and his hands working automatically as he stared at Chika's father's nose which suddenly became extremely interesting. I growled. "You know exactly who I'm talking about!" I exclaimed angrily. I hated it how he always avoided topics he didn't want to talk about.

"Who, Amu-chan?" he said distractedly, as I snorted. "Ikuto and Tadase would kill you for that," I said, as Nagihiko smiled a bit. "Yeah, perhaps." Another awkward silence.

"As I said, don't keep changing the topic!" I exclaimed. "Do. You. Like. Sasaki. –San?" I questioned clearly. Nagihiko gulped as he worked on Chika's father's ears for some reason. "Why are you asking something like this now?" he asked, not responding to my question.

"Just answer me!" I exclaimed loudly. More silence filled the infirmary.

"What if…if I said I didn't?" he asked tentatively. I was almost at my breaking point, I swore. "You aren't answering my question, you dimwit!" I exclaimed, resisting the urge to crash my head on the wall nearby. Thankfully I didn't do that.

"Maybe. That's really my honest answer," Nagihiko added hastily when he saw my murderous expression. I was seriously getting pissed off by his attitude. Couldn't he just respond properly?

"Alright then." I decided on leaving him alone. After all, now really wasn't the time to talk about these types of things, was it?

"What about you?" he asked. I turned towards him confusingly. "Do you like Chika-chan? As a possible friend, I mean," he added hurriedly. "I'm not accusing you of being lez," he said as I sighed.

"Maybe," I responded, similar to him. "Mostly, I can't respond cause I don't know her real well and according to your description of her, she has had a façade on the whole time I've known her," I explained so Nagihiko couldn't point out that I had the same answer as him.

"She really is lovable," he said as I whirled around at him. "So you _do_ like her. Or love her?" I asked as his eyes widened. "W—what? No!" he protested, as I rolled my eyes. He wasn't willing to let me infer anything from him.

"What do we do now?" I asked. Nagihiko had placed Chika's father under some covers and we were left with nothing to do. Returning to Amu seemed like a good idea at first but that was quickly erased. Could we really leave behind an injured man? I thought about sending Nagihiko back, but decided against it as well. He'd been traumatized by the previous experience; I don't think that's a good idea. I considered sending myself back there, but I didn't want to go alone. That'd be really, _really_, creepy. Seriously! How many stories have you read about poor innocent girls traversing down dark, creepy hallways by themselves? They never had happy endings.

"I don't know," Nagihiko responded truthfully. I sighed. Perhaps…we should just dawdle here idly? I don't know.

"Uhh…Rima-chan?" Nagihiko piped up. I turned towards him. "What?" I questioned, though it came out more as a statement than anything. Nervously, he rubbed his palms together. "Did you hear anything before Chika-chan shot you with her attack?" he asked. I blinked. Yes, in fact I did. Though not really, cause now that it's over, my memory's a bit blurry.

"Uhh…kinda. There was…Kuukai? He exclaimed something and leapt my way," I recalled. "And someone telling Chika to stop—some guard or someone…" I attempted to recall—and failing to do so in the process. "Oh. There was that heart-wrenching scream," I recalled. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I imitated, except lowering the severity and intensity of the scream. "Something like that," I said. Nagihiko sighed. "Thank goodness," he said.

"You meaning…?" I questioned cautiously. He was definitely hiding something from me. Nagihiko's head turned my way as he smiled. "Ahahahaha…nothing!" he exclaimed as I narrowed my eyes down even further. "What," I demanded harshly. Did I ever mention? I _hated_ being out of the loop.

"I said, nothing," Nagihiko insisted as I titled my head, meaning I did _not_ believe in him. "Really! Thank goodness you didn't hear anything, cause—cause—cause everyone was sobbing for you! That'd be really sad, wouldn't it?" Nagihiko questioned. I rolled my eyes. His lying skills had lowered.

"I know you're lying," I pointed out bluntly as Nagihiko's smile slightly dropped. "What are you hiding from me?" I demanded, except my tone a degree less severe. I would probably not get anything out of him like that anyways, so maybe I shouldn't be so mean.

"Nothing, Rima-chan," he insisted. It seemed like he had ran out of excuses and could only bluntly deny. "Really?" I asked. Nagihiko nodded. "Are you sure?" I questioned again, at which Nagihiko responded in a similar fashion. "Fine," I said, turning away. I figured I could use the guilty card to try to make him feel bad for hiding something from me.

Yes, I was once told I was an evil plotting master, thank you very much.

"I did once love her," Nagihiko said, as I couldn't help but gasp. Without him mentioning the name, I still had a vague idea that Chika was the one he was talking about. "She was just so—I don't know, cheerful? Bright? Energetic? Like she didn't have a worry in the world. But I guess—I don't feel the same anymore. Like when I saw her on that first day of school, it all—I don't know, changed," he said. "There wasn't that feeling there anymore…y'know?" he asked, as I shrugged, attempting to keep up with his conversation.

"Maybe I still love her," he said, as I winced. Stop wincing, stupid body! Why are you wincing?

.....

C'mon, you can't be telling me I'm _jealous_ of her? No way, in—anywhere! How could I be jealous of that rude, obnoxious, pompous girl?

"But…" Nagihiko said, "there's no room in my heart for her. Someone else is already there," he said solemnly. I could feel something snap within me, though I tried to keep together my charade.

"Uh-huh," I drawled out, trying to keep my breathing calm. No way. No way. This was _not_ happening. This could _not_ be happening to me.

Had I freakin' fell in love?

No way, I'm just kidding myself. It's the heart-racing effect. I'm scared, and that's why my heart's racing, not because—

_Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump-thump-thump—_

Does your heart beat faster when you lie?

_Thump._

Affirmative.

"So, who's the lucky girl?" I asked, attempting to keep neutral. No way have I fallen in love. No way have I fallen in love. No way, José, have I fallen in love with freakin' Na—

"Not telling," he said, completely causing me to do a mental faceplant. At least that disturbed my thoughts from—the unthinkable.

However, I was still extremely curious over who this mysterious girl was. Because, was it possible, that—

It could be…—gulp—me?

Cause think about it! It's probably not a fangirl, crossing out literally almost everyone in the school, not any taken female Guardian (Amu and Yaya crossed out), he'd just denied loving Chika, and him and Utau just don't seem to see eye-to-eye (and Kuukai would give him a black eye first). So, then isn't there only—

Me?

* * *

**A/N**: Wow. I've really delayed, huh? Anyways, yes, rushing, yes, not that nicely written, and no, I don't know when I'll update next. I'm so happy I'm finishing it, thank goodness!

Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara!

Anyways, thanks for all my reviewers who review. I'm sorry if I forget to reply sometimes, too busy. Thank you for your constant support. :)

Yes, it sounds like the end. I'm hoping I'll finish in three chapters. Three chapters. Maybe an epilogue. Who knows?

Hope you've enjoyed it!


	18. Chapter 18: Don't Trust, Doubt

**Chapter 18****:** Don't Trust; Doubt

Obviously, I decided to keep my slightly disturbing thoughts of Nagihiko liking me to myself. It wasn't that Nagihiko liking me was disturbing but rather, the suddenness of the thought frightened me. Was this how it was like to fall in love? To wake up one morning, have an 'a-ha' moment, and realize you were in love? To be frank, it was quite frightening.

"So now what?" I questioned the supposed purpleheaded genius. Nagihiko turned towards me and shrugged. "I think we should go back to Amu-chan," Nagihiko piped up. I raised a suspicious eyebrow. "And leave this injured man behind?" I questioned, as Nagihiko shrugged. "It should be okay. He doesn't show any life-threatening symptoms, not like we could really do anything even if he did," Nagihiko supplied. I then sighed, seating myself back onto the spare patient bed. "I don't know. Should we?" I asked. Nagihiko looked at me and leapt off the chair, extending a hand.

"I think we should."

"Amu?" I asked as Nagihiko and I raced back into the room where the Charas had been trapped. Unlike before, the room had completely dimmed down and the darkness shielded everything inside. "Amuuuuuu?" I questioned cautiously, taking a nervous step in.

"Dreading Diamonds!"

Instinctively, I leapt towards the side, attempting to avoid the attack—from wherever it came from. I heard the sound of sharp glass-like shards coming in contact with the metallic floor board of the room. "Sasaki!" I exclaimed, as I heard a snicker come from the corner of the room.

Nagihiko, who was one step behind me, walked in front of me and motioned for me to stay back. I glared at him in his Beat Jumper charanari and took a step back. Perhaps he had something in mind.

"Chika-chan?" he spoke questioningly into the palpable darkness. Only his voice echoed back in decreasing volume. "Chika-chan?" he repeated, as he took another step into the darkness. Suddenly, a voice pierced through the blackness.

"NAGIHI—" a shrilly voice screeched, sounding surprisingly like to Amu. Nagihiko flinched at the cut-off sentence and daringly took another step. "Chika-chan, where are Amu-chan and Ikuto-kun? Have you captured them—Blaze Shoot!" Nagihiko exclaimed just in time to nullify the attack coming his way. I bit the bottom of my lip and raced towards the side of the wall, my hands scrambling along it to locate the light switch. Finally, feeling a protruding bump on the wall, my fingers flicked them up as the lights flickered into life.

My eyes stared at the sight.

In front were Amu, Ikuto, Tadase, and the rest of the gang stuck in a glass container. Chika was seated on the edge of the large glass container, a coy smile flitting on her face. She swung her legs carelessly as she smirked at the sight of me and Nagihiko.

"Well, well, if it isn't our _cutest couple of the month_," Chika sneered at the sight of us. I didn't have the energy to retort to the comment as I quickly charanaried with KusuKusu. "Clown Drop!" I exclaimed as I glared at Chika directly. "What are you doing to our friends?" I asked as Chika shrugged oh-so innocently. "I don't know. I was thinking something along the lines of shooting some gamma rays, x-rays, and then ultraviolet rays to see who would die first…" she spoke nonchalantly, as if listing the possible places she could visit for her summer vacation. I gritted my teeth against each other. "Sasaki Chika, you are disgusting," I spat, as Chika's carefree expression immediately dissolved into her usual distasteful visage.

"Likewise, Mashiro." Suddenly, her glare was wiped from her face. "Anyways, I wanted to play a game with you guys!" Chika exclaimed as she hopped off from the glass container and landed firmly on the ground. "I call it Truth Questions," Chika said. "C'mon, come a little closer! I won't bite—_hard_," she snickered as Nagihiko and my expressions barely twitched.

"So, the game works like this," Chika continued. "I'll ask you guys a question. You have to respond truthfully. If it's a lie, one of your friends will—well, let's give a live example," she said as she clapped her two hands together. Immediately, an X-Egg materialized in the glass container. The gang's eyes widened slightly, knowing the danger of the X-Egg. The X-Egg then began to glow, brighter and brighter, until it finally burst.

"AHHHHHHH!" Screams and shouts came from inside the glass container. My eyes widened as I took a step towards them but Nagihiko stopped me. After the smoke inside cleared up, I found most of the gang slightly injured with scrapes and bruises on their skin. Chika grinned devilishly. "Of course, each X-Egg will be bigger, stronger, and more dangerous. Well, ready to begin?" she said, as she pretended to hold a microphone.

"Welcome to Chika's First Truth Questions Contest! Contestants, are you ready?" Chika asked evilly, grinning at the nervous me and Nagihiko. "Nagihiko-kun, you're first!" she exclaimed in a mock fangirl voice. Nagihiko glared at Chika but took a step forward. "Chika-chan, you must agree to set them free if we answer all the questions truthfully," Nagihiko said as Chika grinned. "Sure. But don't worry; you won't answer truthfully. You won't," she said as I flinched. What could she be up to?

"So, Nagihiko, first question! Did you enjoy cross-dressing as Nadeshiko?" Chika asked innocently. Nagihiko flinched at the question and kept his mouth closed for a long time.

"No," he finally answered. "Dancing is my true call, but as a girl, I simply can't—" Here, Nagihiko was cut off by a buzzer. "WRONG!" Chika exclaimed as an X-Egg appeared in the glass container. "You enjoyed it. You could dance so well and beat other girls, even though you were a guy. So when your sister came back, you hated her. She danced so well, that you couldn't beat her. You hated her from kicking you out of your expertise. So you were forced to change your attention to stuff like basketball and hip-hop. Hmm…is that true?" Chika asked as the X-Egg exploded. After some coughs and the smoke cleared up, Nadeshiko was staring at Nagihiko weirdly. "So you changed to hip-hop cause I took over your expertise, huh?" she questioned. Nagihiko opened his mouth to retort but quickly shut it, taking a step back. I blinked. How had this happened?

"Next, Yaya-chii!" Chika exclaimed, turning towards the glass container. However, even the energetic girl couldn't help but frown at Chika. "So, Yaya-chii, who was your first crush? Why did you like him?" Chika asked. Yaya raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Kuukai-kun," she said confidently. Everyone knew that, even Utau and Kairi. "I liked him cause he was a brotherly figure in my life and I could rely on—" Here, Yaya was cut off as well by a big buzzer, as an X-Egg appeared in the container once more. After it exploded, Chika giggled.

"Yaya-chii, you've gotten yourself all messed up! Have you forgotten? You liked Kuukai-kun because he was a jock, tough and strong and able to protect you from things, not like some glasses nerd who pretends to be a samurai to act tough," Chika said. I could almost see Kairi's heat sink and he looked up at Yaya tiredly. "Yaya, is that how you think of me?" he asked as he turned away before Yaya could explain.

I could kinda see Chika's plan here.

"Next, our personal favorite heroine, Hinamori Amu!" Chika exclaimed. Nervously, Amu's head turned up as she looked at Chika. Chika grinned widely. "So, Amu-chan! Tell us how you feel about Tadase-kun!" she exclaimed as Amu's eyes widened.

"U—uhh…" Amu nervously looked towards Tadase who nodded encouragingly. "T—Tadase is a great friend, and he always supports me, and—" Here, Amu was similarly cut off by the buzzer and an X-Egg exploded. "No, incorrect! You hate Tadase! He was a childish guy stupidly leading you on when you had a small crush on him! He caused you to cry for all those days! He's the reason you hadn't hooked up with Ikuto sooner! You find his egotistical moments with Kiseki annoying so you slip away secretly whenever that happens!" Hey! That's not true! It's cause she's usually going to call me to get the bucket! "You find his stupid smile to be too cheesy and annoying! Even though he's the King of the Guardians, he's no king in any of your hearts!" she screeched. Sadly, Tadase hung his head down. "Yeah…I guess that's how it is…" he spoke sadly as he shrunk into the corner.

Slowly, Chika ripped us apart, limb by limb. She accused Utau of always comparing Kuukai to Ikuto when Kuukai did things with her, with Ikuto always being better. She said that Ikuto always found Amu's blushing annoying—it just proved how childish she was when she was already so much younger than him. Tadase detested Ikuto still for stealing Amu from him and never returning his key, "being the selfish person he was." Though Nadeshiko was always helping Yaya, she secretly felt annoyed by the brunette's enthusiasm all the time and wished she would just shut up. Kuukai never liked it when Utau beat him in competitions—he was a man and his pride just wouldn't allow it. Kairi supposedly thought of me as a selfish, cold, cruel queen who couldn't care less for her subjects. Ouch. That really hurt, coming from Kairi.

"And last but not least, our personal favorite, Mashiro Rima." Didn't she already say Amu was the personal favorite? Ah well. "So, tell me, Rima, what do you think of Nagihiko?"

I froze. What was I supposed to say?

Was I supposed to say I loved him? Was I supposed to say I hated them? Neither sounded like the truth. None were really true. Frenemies still? That sounds off too. What was Nagihiko to me? A mere person? A mere illusion? A lover? A—a—a—

"I don't know," I admitted quietly. The buzzer rang again as another X-Egg exploded. "WRONG!" she exclaimed as loud as she could, and as harshly as she could. "You hate him. You despise him to the very core. He lied to everyone, saying he was 'Nadeshiko'—or so he was. He taunts you and teases you at every opportunity he has. He mocks your pettiness, your uselessness, your broken family. He hates you and you despise him, end of story," Chika finished satisfactorily. Nagihiko's head hung downwards limply as his fists clenched. When had he gotten so far from me?

"T—that's not true!" I exclaimed in protest. Chika jeered. "You think? Then what _do_ you think about him?" she asked. I gulped.

I…

I…

I…

"I LOVE HIM!" I blurted out. Chika's sneer dropped, Nagihiko's fists loosened, and everyone in the glass container looked up expectantly.

"Alright, I admit, I hated him at first," I broke down, spilling my story. "He was annoying, he mocked my height, my low IQ, my supposed queenly status, and everything. He mocked me and teased me for his own enjoyment. Who wouldn't hate him? But slowly, I grew to like him. The mocks were simply to distract me from other stuff and concentrate my hate on him. The teasing was to get me to blush and also to not think about other hateful things. I love him, and that's true! Sure, initially I didn't like him, but that's passed. We've grown on each other; our hate relationship is completely dependent on the love. I FREAKING LOVE FUJISAKI NAGIHIKO."

The entire room fell silent.

Suddenly, Chika began laughing.

"AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!" she hollered aloud, directly laughing at my outburst. "O—oh my gosh, I c—can't believe you just—just said that. You're—you're hil—hilarious, Ma—Mashiro," she managed out weakly, dramatically wiping a few tears from her eyes. "You seriously think you can love someone like_ him?_ A liar—a cross-dresser—a stupid, vulgar, long-haired, purple-headed, Fujisaki freak?" she spat out ruthlessly. "You must have some mistakes in the mind, 'cause that boy ain't ever gonna find someone who can accept a cross-dresser. The social convention of the year is: gender. Keep your gender clear. Who would accept a cross-dresser willingly unless forced? Or are you forced? Does your mom want you to marry the Fujisaki family for their money? That sounds logical. Or maybe the fame. Yeah, cause Nagihiko's famous nowadays for his abnormal performance in basketball. Hmm…and in the end, it all comes down to human greed. How selfish," Chika spat, turning around once more. I blinked. No, that wasn't true! I loved him for him! How could she—"Sasaki, you take that—" I began fiercely, but Nagihiko cut me off.

"It's alright, Rima-chan," he said so sorrowfully I wanted to slap him and change him back to optimistic, teasing Nagihiko. "B—but—" I stuttered hesitantly, unsure of what to say. What was I supposed to say? I loved him—again? Evidently, that won't work. B—b—but—

"Leave Rima alone!" a sharp voice came from the glass container. Everyone's heads turned towards the source of the voice: Amu. I looked expectantly at her. Please, Amu, give your life-inspiring speech. Save the freakin' world and get this all over with, I—I—I—

My heart really aches.

"Hinamori Amu, what more do you have to say about Tadase, huh?" Chika challenged. Amu narrowed her eyes down on Chika as if challenging her words. "Lies. All your said were lies," Amu said surely.

"These people are my friends. I've known them since 5th grade. Though I only knew Nadeshiko after 8th grade, she's still my dear friend. I love them and whatever you say won't change it. I don't believe all that crap you just spouted about what they think. Wrong? Who's wrong? You're just saying that they're wrong—but you have no proof or anything! They're not wrong! They're my friends! I—I FREAKING LOVE THEM AND TRUST THEM ALL!" Amu hollered aloud passionately.

New light is shed on our "dense" heroine.

"Do you really believe that, Amu?" Chika questioned. "You don't know Ikuto, do you? Can you tell me everything you know about him? I bet all you do is talk about useless stuff with him, like his favorite color or why he likes fish. All that is crap. How do you trust someone you barely know? How can you call someone whose ultimate intentions remain hidden whilst they present ignorance and innocence to you?" she hissed, her eyes darting towards Nagihiko threateningly.

"I don't," Amu spoke, as Chika sneered. "There ya go, honey. Now shut your mouth and keep to yourself, no one trusts you anyways," Chika said. We all looked at Amu confusingly. Amu wasn't the type of person to give up so easily.

"I don't," she repeated, attracting our attention. "But that's exactly why they're my friends. Trust—what is trust? Should you trust everyone you know? No. That's an insult. If you trust everyone you know, then who is a friend? You trust everyone the same—you give no one the privilege to call you friend. Doubt. You must doubt people. While you doubt them, learn about them. Become their friend. Completely throwing your trust to them is giving up on trying to know and understand them. It is an insult to them. It is like you don't care about them—you're just calling them friend. Then is everyone your friend? No. So doubt. Don't trust—gain their trust, and give your trust to friends, not strangers. Doubt is good," Amu spoke. We all blinked at the pink-headed heroine.

"Friend. What is a friend? Everyone constantly tells you that everyone is your friend. Is that the truth? No. Not everyone's your friend. If everyone was, then what would be a friend? Nothing special, nothing in particular. I don't trust my friends, cause I want to get to know them better. I take the effort to try to get closer to them instead of immediately deciding to trust them. I don't trust—that's true. It's cause I love my friends."

Amu finished slightly awkwardly, as she blushed. "Th—that's why you're wrong. Trust and friendship have nothing to do with each other. You shouldn't immediately trust—learn to trust," Amu finished.

The entire lab was in complete silence. Finally, Chika sighed.

"I guess…Shizue was right," she said, as a black feather dropped from her wings. "I don't know…protect isn't as easy as I thought. I keep hurting while I protect. What am I doing wrong?" she questioned aloud as another feather dropped. Slowly, as Chika began her apologies to everyone, she dropped from the sky and the black feathers fell. Her hair's color changed back to brown and her eyes turned to the usual chocolate brown. Finally, reaching the floor, she was wingless and her eyes were closed.

Blink.

"Chika-chan…" her Chara…Shizue? Anyways, Shizue patted her owner's back and smiled. "Are you alright?" Shizue asked as Chika smiled weakly. "I—I guess. I—I—" Chika herself was cut off by another at the doorway.

"C—Chika," a masculine voice stuttered. Again, the entire gang turned their heads towards the source—what the heck, Chika's DAD?

"P—Papa," Chika stuttered. Hesitantly, she took a wary step towards her father. After seeing his warm smile, the poor girl dashed towards him and threw herself into his embrace, crying her heart out. I smiled at the touching family scene as Chika broke herself away from her father's embrace.

"Papa?" she questioned warily, as he smiled warmly at Chika. "Yes?" he asked patiently and kindly. Chika bit her bottom lip, her face facing the ground.

"I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely as her father chuckled. "Kiddo, it's my bad for letting you go crazy," he said as Chika grinned wide. "C'mon now, let's get going. You don't wanna tomorrow morning, do you?" he asked, as he motioned for Chika to scurry down the halls first. Hesitantly, Chika took a step away and walked down the halls. He then turned to us.

"I'm sorry, but it's getting late. Your parents are probably worrying. Should we talk tomorrow after your school is out? You may come home with Chika," he said wearily. I nodded and the man smiled. "Good night. I've released security." He took a step away but hesitated and turned back. "Also, little blonde girl, thank you very much," he said before dashing away.

…

Say WWWWHHHHAAAATTTT?

Now, I wasn't freaking out about the 'little blonde girl' comment (though that definitely wasn't needed) but rather about what I was to be thanked for.

Ooh crap.

I just remembered.

The whole entire confession. I'd forgotten about it while listening to Amu's awe-inspiring speech.

Now that everything was like this, what was gonna happen to me and Nagihiko?

* * *

**A/N:** Well, sorry for the completely rushed chapter. I just didn't feel like dragging on this story anymore than it needs to. I'm beginning to dislike this story more and more by the minute, mostly cause Chika's such a Mary-Sue (now that I've realized). Sigh. Hopefully I'll improve by the next FanFic.

Anyways, I just wanted to take a moment and thank my reviewers. I haven't ever thanked you guys specifically before but now I feel like there's a need to. Special shout-out to those who continued reviewing after my four-month hiatus. You guys mean a lot to me and your reviews are my inspiration. Thank you guys so much. :)

Anyways, hope you've enjoyed and please leave a review if you'd like! :D

[By the way, Amu's speech was inspired by the manga Liar Game (or was it Liar's Game? Ah well, about the same). Really climatic, suspenseful plot if you like hinted mysteries. It's a psychology manga and extremely interesting. :) I couldn't have written something so inspiring. What'd you expect from me? I'd wish though ;)]


	19. Chapter 19: The Rumored Feeling of Love

**Chapter 19****: The Rumored Feeling of Love**

The bunch of us exited Christmas Corporations calmly with heaving breaths coming occasionally from the side due to our battles. Everything was over. Everything was done. It was kinda hard to believe, now that I thought about it. Hadn't it been just awhile ago when Chika had just transferred over?

Now that I thought about it, it _had_ been just awhile ago when Chika transferred over. It had just been awhile ago when everything was, well…_normal_. No abnormal masses of X-Eggs. No need to live the double-life of heroes of the world (well, _that_ just sounded real cheesy) and normal high school students. No need to…to…

Stumble through the messes of my mind caused by no other than one purple-haired mastermind.

And now that I thought about it, not _everything_ was over. What about…me and Nagihiko? What was gonna happen? Would he forget? (Maybe. It was _really_ climatic and suspenseful during Amu's speech, that maybe he forgot). Would he approach me about it? (Wouldn't that be the best thing in the world?) Unless…he was approaching me to reject me. (Which would definitely be worse than him forgetting).

"Rima-chan?" a familiar melodious voice came from my side. I didn't stop walking as I continued pacing forward. I was really in no mood to turn around and face him. What if he was approaching…to reject? Rejection was too big of a risk. I really didn't want him to. Please, go away. "Rima-chan! Rima!" the voice came again, more urgent and more impatient. I stopped, realizing my childish behavior of running away. Now _I'm_ the one forgetting about the confession. _I'm_ the one running away from the truth. I turned around and faced him properly.

"Yes?" I questioned eerily, secretly hoping he would get my hint that I was waiting for him to talk about the subject of me and him. He smiled nervously as he caught up to me. As he kept walking, I took it as a signal for me to not stop walking. Pacing side-by-side with him, I managed to control my flinch as his hand brushed past mine.

"Rima? Nagi? Hurry up, you guys are lagging behind," Amu's voice came from up front. "Mhmm," I responded as I picked up my pace, not quite caring about Nagihiko's own pace. However, soon enough, he caught up with me and the rest of the crowd.

The group of us walked out of the building rather silently, too exhausted and tired to strike some small talk. Eventually, as we walked, we reached crossways for specific people to leave.

"Awh man, I really don't wanna go home," Kuukai complained as he walked towards the right and the rest of our group went towards the left. "I'm so certain my brothers are gonna kill me…" he complained. Utau chuckled weakly. "Or are you afraid of the dark?" she suggested. Kuukai flinched.

"A—afraid of the dark? Are you kidding me, Utau? Out of all the phobias I could have, you think I'm scared of the dark? Haha! You're joking!" he exclaimed airily. We all raised a suspicious eyebrow at him. "I—I gotta go home! See ya!" Kuukai exclaimed, dashing off down the road faster than when attempting to pull me on his dashes. Utau blinked and smiled evilly.

"Now I know something to challenge him to…" she smirked, as the group continued down the road.

"Hey, our turn," Ikuto jerked his thumb towards the right side of the road while talking to Utau. Utau nodded. "G'night, guys," she said, walking off with her brother. "G'night," we chorused back. Nadeshiko raised an eyebrow at Ikuto.

"Ikuto? Aren't you gonna say goodnight to Amu-chan?" she asked curiously. Ikuto smirked while Amu blushed. "T—there's no need for the stupid perverted cat to say goodnight to me—" "As Amu-koi said, there's no need, since I'm gonna go see her the moment I drop Utau off," Ikuto said smoothly. Utau rolled her eyes. "I'm not eight anymore, Ikuto," Utau pointed out, as Ikuto shrugged. "And you're not thirty yet, so shut your trap until you are." Utau growled but walked towards the right with Ikuto following after her.

Kairi and Yaya surprisingly lived close to each other. "Kairi, let's go!" Yaya exclaimed cheerfully, dragging her boyfriend's hand as the two eagerly walked home. "I'm leaving here too as well. Good night, everyone," Tadase spoke politely before attempting to catch up with Yaya and Kairi (I'll bet you he didn't). Finally, we were left with me, Nagihiko, Nadeshiko, and Amu.

"Nagihiko, let's—" Nadeshiko began until Nagihiko quickly shot her down with a glare. He smiled innocently and turned towards me and Amu. "Ah Rima-chant! I just remembered that you left something at my house! You know, from the sleepover?" he said, as I cautiously peered into his caramel eyes. They were slightly nervous, dancing with anxiety, and—what, I don't know! I'm not a mind-reader!

"Oh, right. _That_," I spoke evasively, understanding that he had something he wanted to sa. Thankfully, Amu didn't pick up on anything suspicious about our discreet rhetoric. "Alright," she said, "but I need to go home now. See you guys tomorrow!" she exclaimed cheerfully as she turned around and continued down the road without me.

Nagihiko then turned towards his sister. "Nadeshiko, don't you have something to do?" he hinted. Nadeshiko smiled innocently—and evilly, as I noted. "Nope! Let's all go home together!" she exclaimed cheerfully, beginning to skip down the road. Nagihiko sighed irritably. "Nade…" he spoke, almost begging like a cute little puppy—

Whoa. When'd be become a 'cute little puppy'?

Nadeshiko giggled. "Alright, alright, I'll stop bugging you two. Have fun, you two lovebirds!" she teased, skipping off towards the pitch black darkness. I watched her plum-colored ponytail swing right and left until the darkness completely swallowed her whole.

"Should we go for a walk?" he offered. I responded by taking the lead and pacing towards the nearby park.

The two of us walked in complete silence. Neither of us wanting to kill the moment—the moment of complete silence, of the tranquility and peace of the town at midnight. The occasional cricket chirp and bird cry startled me, but besides that, the midnight silence was soothing.

Soon enough, we got to the park. I walked towards the swing and rested myself on it, my feet lightly kicking off the ground. Nagihiko took the swing next to mine as the two us silently swung…on our swings.

Guess who broke the silence? One word: not-me.

"It's rare to have moments like this," he spoke up. I shrugged, mostly to myself, as I kicked on the ground some more.

"What moments?" I questioned.

"Moments," he insisted, "like this. Where everything's quiet between you and me. No fights, no arguments, no teasing from the rest of the Guardians…" he trailed off. I had to agree with him on that—there were rarely quiet, peaceful moments between the two of us.

"Mhmm…" I mumbled agreeably, not having much to say. I soon realized I'd stopped the conversation he'd managed to strike and sighed to myself.

"Something wrong?" he questioned, referring to my sigh. I shrugged, again, to myself. "No. Not really. Maybe. Perhaps," I responded as I heard him slightly chuckle. What was so funny, jeez? "You're funny," he said, as I decided not to go all 'Goddess of Comedy' on him. Somewhere deep in my gut, I had a feeling that'd ruin whatever moment we were having now. I decided to trust my gut feelings for once.

"So…" I started, trailing off mindlessly when realizing I had no clue what I was gonna say. "So…?" he mocked teasingly as I growled at him. He laughed again, his swing picking up its swinging pace as I did so as well.

"What did I leave at your house?" I asked, deciding on an indirect approach. Though he didn't (or maybe he did?), I could almost hear his amused chuckle. "Apparently, Amu-chan is still the same as always," he remarked, as I rolled my eyes. "She always will," I commented.

Silence. Crickets chirping. The creaking of the rusty swing set's chains.

"Was it true? The stuff you said back then," he questioned eagerly (or so I hope). I turned away, facing the right side of the swing and the pitch black darkness, attempting to trace the outlines of the trees with my eyes. "What stuff?" I responded, deciding again to go in circles. I could hear him give an irritated grunt as he adjusted himself on his swing (assumingly, according to the noises from his side).

"Do you really want me to repeat it?" he asked astutely as I growled under my breath. "No," I hissed as I imagined his gloating grin. "Then would you answer my question? Was all that true?" he asked smoothly, his voice like velvet that I just wanted to run my hands through.

Did that sound strange? Perhaps that's what love does to people.

"If you answer my question, I'll tell you," I responded. I imagined him perking his ears up, like what Yoru does with Ikuto. "Hmm? Sure," he replied, amused by my antics. I took a deep breath and turned around, staring at his face.

"How do you view me?" I asked sincerely. I could see a familiar smile appearing on his face. "What do you mean, Rima-chan? You're my friend," he responded almost robotically. I could only hope he was suppressing his feelings of some sort. That was my only hope.

"I don't mean that. You know what I mean," I frowned at him indignantly, hoping he'd get my point. His smile disappeared as he looked at me solemnly. "Do you mean…if I like _like_ you or not?" he asked. My face flushed at the mentioning of like _like_ (which, in whatever case, sounded rather secondary-school to me) as I lowered my eyes to his shoes—notably, shiny, brand new Nike Airs. Rich freak.

"What do you _want_ me to say, Rima-chan?" he questioned back. I looked up again and glared at him. "Stop turning the situation around and asking for how I feel for you! I want your answer, and I want it now!" I exclaimed. I slightly heaved from my infuriated speech as I watched his face change from the previous smirk to—again—solemnity.

"Rima-chan…" he began in his 'let's-talk-this-out' tone but I hopped off my swing, unable to take his infuriating antics any longer. "Stop trying to change the topic!" I exclaimed, enraged by his confusing behavior. "I just want you to answer the frickin' question! However, you just keep on trying to avoid the topic. Stop 'Rima-chan'-ing me, it's not working! You and your stupid, freaking charming smile can just drown in the school swimming pool!" I blurted, rambling about the first things that came to mind. I could see the corners of his mouth curl up in amusement but quickly drop again, seeing my state-of-mind.

"For God's sake, Nagihiko, it's always been like this!" I exclaimed, turning away from him and pacing on the ground a little. "Whenever I ask you a question, you're always responding with vague answers, like,' What do you want me to say, Rima-chan?' or 'Nothing, Rima-chan. Nothing. By the way, blah blah blah blah blah blah BLAH.' And if none of these work and I still persist for my answer, you somehow always manage to make me so mad that _I'm_ the one who stomps away from the conversation! You're always avoiding me whenever I ask you something about your life! Well, I'm sorry if I'm intruding, but if you haven't noticed, _I_ do disclose such information to people like you! I expect just as much back! I want you to _trust_ me, Nagihiko!" I blurted.

"You remember Amu's speech just now?" his voiced hung in the air. I could almost see his gloating smile.

"There you go again!" I exclaimed, whirling around and pointing my finger at him accusingly. "We were talking about _you_ avoiding the topic! And there you go, changing the topic right in front of my face! Dear God, Nagihiko! Even if you're going by Amu's speech of 'doubting not trusting,' there's gotta be a certain limit to that! You can't just doubt everyone—that's the same as trusting everyone!" I pointed out, even surprised by my own philosophical discovery.

"Nagihiko, _please_," I beg the purple-haired freak, "can you just answer my question so we can both move on with our own freakin' lives?" I could feel my eyes going dry and sore. I could feel the tears about to come up. Shame how I can command my tears to fall anytime but I can't control them and hold them back.

"Well?" I snarled at him, infuriated once more by his silence. Was this his last tactic? The silence treatment? I was about to snap and turn off and runaway until he stood up from his swing as well.

"I—" he began awkwardly, cutting himself off. "I'm sorry for avoiding all that stuff," Nagihiko apologized sincerely. I rolled my eyes at his behavior. "Whatever. You're changing the subject again," I pointed out mercilessly. He smiled awkwardly—sadly, sorrowfully, unsure of himself. "I apologize for that as well," he responded smoothly as I snorted. "If I wanted you apologizing, I could just blackmail you with pictures of you cross-dressing as Nadeshiko," I pointed out. "Answer me. Now," I demanded. He took a deep breath.

"_Yes_…" I could barely hear his whisper in the breeze. Unnervingly, I peered at him curiously. "Now, are you lying?" I questioned suspiciously. There was not a hint of joking around or goofing off in his eyes, just pure emotion and solemnity. It was for real.

"No," he answered so sadly that I wanted to go over and smack him out of his state of melancholy state. "Well, that's great to hear," I said sarcastically, turning around and beginning to walk off. "Wait!" I heard him cry, as I turned around. "Yes?" I questioned icily.

"Now what's wrong with you?" he demanded hotly. "I've just accepted your confession and now you walk off like nothing happened?" he questioned, almost panicking. I bit the bottom of my lip as I completely turned around. "What do you want me to do?" I asked him. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do! I—I—I actually expected you to reject me," I admitted. "There was no reason for you to accept me."

"But I have," he pointed out like a desperate child. I snorted.

"And the world does not revolve around you, purple-haired bastard," I growled. "Didn't you remember what I said? 'Just answer my question so we can both move on with our own freakin' lives.' I'm moving on. I—I don't wanna go anywhere with you. I don't," I blubbered.

I—

I—

I was afraid.

Something had occurred to me. Somewhere in the back of the rational part of my mind, I was afraid of what he could do to me. Even if his eyes weren't lying—he could. What if he were toying me around? That would hurt even more, wouldn't it? What if…he turned out like Kirishima-kun? The overprotective type? _I'd_ have to break it up…but I wouldn't want to. I don't want to get into another crazy predicament. Knowing he liked me was enough…for now. I really didn't know what to do anyways. His answer to my question was the equivalent of him confessing—and I was rather surprised. What should I do?

My rational mind: run. Run (like the coward you are), run away (from the truth and reality), run away (from the possibilities that he could bring you—both happiness and sorrow).

"But I do!" he exclaimed, taking an aggressive side in our conversation. "I want to be with you everyday, every hour, every _millisecond_, Rima!" he exclaimed. "I want to be able to kiss you and tease you and watch you turn red every time I do," he begged. "I—I—I love you too, Mashiro Rima," he confessed so honestly. "Why—why won't you accept me?"

I…

"I'm afraid. What if you abandon me?" I asked.

"I won't."

"What if you're lying?"

"I'm not, and I will never."

"What if you hurt me?"

"I swear to God, Rima, if I hurt a _hair_ on you, I will personally send myself to hell."

I gulped, surprised by his assertiveness on the situation. Perhaps I could…?

"One last question," I spoke up. "H—how much do you love me?" I asked him. If—if only I could know…though perhaps it was just that fairytale, childish side of me hanging onto the situation.

"If I could answer that, I'd need everything good in the world—and everything more," he answered.

Tears watered up in my eyes and streamed down my probably red cheeks. He walked over with his hands opened, as he hugged me tightly and placed his head on top of mine. I smiled through my tears and felt the warmth of being in his chest—in the arms of the person you love.

"Will you be my girlfriend, Mashiro Rima?" he asked sincerely and truthfully. I smiled at him, secretly pleased with the romantic setting: 4:00 in the morning, crickets playing music in the background, in a public area, yet without a person in sight.

I choked on my tears. "What do you think? Yes." He smiled at me—that stupid, idiotic, yet charming smile of his, and swooped down for a kiss. A sealing kiss. A beautiful kiss. A kiss, full of promise and hope.

Have you ever had those moments when everything didn't matter except who you were with? When you didn't care if the sky were to collapse, the ground was to cave in, or a tsunami was to strike your town right now? When it didn't matter if today was your last day or tomorrow was, or the very next minute, but all that mattered was that very second?

I felt that in that split second.

The kiss was cold—yet warm, frightening, yet promising, beautiful, and spectacular, and everything else good in the world. And suddenly, though the chilling wind bit through my skin, the fatigue from the battle still lingered in my body, and my mother was probably back at home threatening to kill, all was right. All was good. All, and everything on the world, was absolutely perfect. Have you ever had this feeling before? I haven't—till now.

Perhaps this is the rumored feeling of love.

* * *

**A/N: I'M DONE. DONE. DONE AND DONE AND THROUGH WITH IT. FINALLY. (And it's not a year yet!)**

**I'll like to thank all of my reviewers and readers for the support given. You all inspire me to write and by myself, I probably couldn't of actually finished such a story. Thank you so much.**

**Special shout-out to my best reviewers:** i-is-anime-freak **(who reviewed every chapter in one single blow!)**, ColinatorGX **(who should write a SC! story)**, the one and only mimi cha** (whose reviews make me feel giddy ^^)**, soccergirl56 **(who always encourages me to update sooner and sooner...and i try my best to do [which usually doesn't come out real good]), **ThatGirl96 **(short, sweet, to-the-point reviews), **and Juleskat01** (who makes me proud of the fluff i write).**

**I'd really like to thank **xoBitterSweetox **for her constant support and even after I reply to her review, she replies back. She's great inspiration and has a ton of creativity in her. She's a really good author.**

**Also, the final shout-out goes to my most loyal reviewer...**WantingFreedom. **Believe it or not, she's reviewed ever since my first chapter and reviewed for every chapter since then. Thank you so much, and I love your stories as well. I promise I won't be so lazy and actually review more. Now I know how people feel when thy get reviews. Thank you so much, **WantingFreedom.

**And thus concludes **Tears of Venus. **Y'know, I don't even remember why I called it **"Tears of Venus."** I think it had something to do with a sad ending I planned originally but took out (cause who likes angst? Good doses are fine, but a final dose sucks). Ah well. I'd change it but whatever. Tears of joy, alright?**

**I might put an epilogue, but who knows. I'm putting this story under complete though. Thank you SO much for everyone's support, and I hope you'll continue to read my next story (whenever THAT'S coming out).**

_- Blossoming Hope_


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